I Volunteer: My Little Bit of Hope
by MissBunburyHope
Summary: I saw my dad lose his life in the Games. I watched Rue lose her life in the Games, after she volunteered for me. I've watched Finnick fight for his life twice in the Games. Now the Capitol wants to know who else's life I am willing to give up in the Rebellion.
1. Prologue: My Little Bit of Hope

**My Little Bit of Hope**

**_I saw my dad lose his life in the Games. I watched Rue lose her life in the Games, after she volunteered for me. I've watched Finnick fight for his life twice in the Games. Now the Capitol wants to know who else's life I am willing to give up in the Rebellion._**

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**This is the sequel to I Volunteer, so it is not necessary to read it, but it would be better if you wanted to know who some of my OCs are. ****This fanfiction is set around the exact same time as the books are- The 74th Hunger Games, until the end of the Rebellion.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Prologue- My Little Bit of Hope**

The moon is high in the sky when Hope sits in her new garden, her legs crossed in front of her and her hands folded in her lap as she stares at the sky. A small smile flickers across her lips, joined with tears in her eyes, when she spots the group of stars together that she has been searching for: the constellation that they named Orion, long ago.

Unknown to her family, she left her house to go into the garden as soon as she heard the sounds of sleep from every other member of her family. She knew that, like every night since her return to her house, she would not be able to sleep without nightmares. That night, if she were to sleep, they would be worse because she will leave her District, again, tomorrow.

She sighs and shuts her eyes as she allows the comfortably warm wind to breeze across her face, rubbing her stomach gently in an attempt to calm the nerves already running high. It does not work. She's made it clear that she's not happy that she's alive without her best friend, so she sees no reason to celebrate. Why put herself on show for something she's not proud of?

After a few more moments of complete stillness, the serenity not even disturbed by the thoughts that should be occupying the young girl's mind, she carefully gets to her feet and walks back inside. She knows that, even if sleep will not make her feel any better, everyone else will appreciate that she at least _tried_. If she won't sleep, she can always lie in silence in the "safety" of inside.

However, as she quietly shuts the back door, before heading upstairs, she realises that she will never really feel safe again. She's seen and experienced too much to know that the world isn't as innocent as people always try to make it out to be. She doesn't even have her one anchor to the world to keep her safe anymore. The Games took him away, too.

When she flops onto her huge bed, tucking her knees up to her chest and looking around, she spots the silver key on her bedside table that she was given, but didn't want to use. Wrapping her pale green dress around her legs to compensate for the loss of her arm's warmth, she reaches over and picks up the key for her best friend's old house, turning it over slowly within her fingers.

A few days ago, his mother had come over to talk to her on her own. She explained to the younger girl that she had been the one to look after her whilst she was barely conscious of the world around her, because she had known that her son would not have wanted to see his best friend suffer, but also because she knew that there must have been a reason for her being on her own.

She then went on to say how sorry for her loss she was- although Hope soon argued that her loss was nothing compared to the mother's- but she had her mind set on the fact that it would soon mean more to Hope that he had gone. She gave no more information on the subject, however, because she did not think that it would be right to fill the girl's head with worries.

She finished by giving her the key to the window of his room, and another to the front of the house, saying that she would be welcome to come around whenever she wanted, especially if she wanted an escape from her life as a Victor. She was given the key to Orion's room because she didn't think that anyone else would use it after him, but they didn't want to have to clear the room out.

Hope stares at it for a few minutes before jumping silently onto the floor and slowly walking out of her room, then back downstairs. She picks up the key for her own house and leaves it without a second glance, stepping into the warm outside once again. Her footsteps on the path should be barely noticeable but, for her in the silence, she feels as if anyone could hear her, and then find her.

Due to how she is wary of every sound around, she walks carefully and slowly on her way to the Square from the Victors' Village. She pauses for a few minutes there, looking around her, before she turns away and heads towards the part of her District that used to be where both her and her best friend lived. She takes longer to walk there than she should, but it is because she takes in everything around her as she goes.

After just over half an hour, she spots the two houses that used to be home to them, before she stops and sighs. She wishes more than anything that they could both be still living there, instead of only one of them living in the Victor's Village, whilst the other, unfortunately, does not even live at all. Before she sets off again in their direction, she finds the key within her pocket and holds it tightly.

When she reaches the ground beneath the window to his old bedroom, she holds the key up and finds the lock in the darkness, replacing the key into her pocket once she's heard it click. She pushes the window open after she's calmed her nerves, and then pulls herself up, into the room, not looking up straight away when she lands silently on the floor.

After a few minutes of preparing herself for what she will see, she looks up to see the room in complete darkness, apart from the little amount of silver moonlight that makes its way through the window. Therefore, she gets to her feet and walks to the far wall- careful not to disturb those that actually are asleep in the house- and shields her eyes from the bright light that she switches on.

When she finally uncovers her eyes, her breath catches in her throat and she has to bite her lip to stop herself from crying. Unfortunately, his mother was right: they aren't going to clear out his room. It looks as if he is still living in the house. The room is ready for him to walk into, where he'd smile, and then laugh at the girl in his room, who would have blushed at being caught looking around.

The dark blue bed sheets are still folded back onto the bed, somewhat crumpled from where he had been laying the last time he had slept there. When he had last been there, it would have been hot during the night, so he would have slept on top of the covers, why his form is still present on the sheets; there, too, because he had left the house in such a hurry that morning to wake the girl.

The sky blue painted walls reflect his influence on everyone in his life, particularly the girl who had been his District partner in the latest Hunger Games. Photos were meant to be a rare privilege in District Eleven, but his parents were lucky to own an antique camera from their families long ago, from District Four. Every birthday, his friends and family had printed out pictures for him to stick on the walls.

The main subject of his pictures with him was his best friend, who would appear laughing and smiling with him. She was the only one who did not give him a photo for his birthday, so the inside of his bedside cabinet is filled with things exclusively from her. In fact, as she stands in the room, she remembers his latest gift that she had been saving up for before, and bought early that day. She makes a mental note to bring the cushions to _their _house one day.

Once she stands next to his bed, she glances in its direction, before switching the light back off and returning to sit down on the edge, which is when the tears begin to slide down her cheeks. She tucks her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on the top of them, staring at nothing in particular. Without even realising what she's doing, she reaches to the side and feels the form of her best friend that is still present there.

_On the morning of the Reaping, Orion woke up with the sun and smiled, thinking of what he had planned for the next few upcoming weeks. He quietly got out of bed and dressed into his smart clothes for the Reaping, although he didn't worry about making them too perfect, because he was sure that he'd spoil them, somewhat, when he would go out with his best friend._

_Once he finished getting ready, he jumped out of the window and locked it behind himself, smiling when he began to walk towards the girl's house. In comparison to his, her room was a little higher off the ground, so he had to climb up the side of the house to land on the balcony, leaning against the railings without making a noise to wake her. Instead, he tipped his head to the side and watched her sleep._

_It took less than a couple of minutes for Hope to wake up and see her best friend outside, smiling when she saw him. "You woke me up," was the first thing she said to her best friend after she opened the window to her room, allowing the boy to climb in._

_"I did not," Orion argued, folding his arms over his chest when he sat on the windowsill. "You simply woke up when I arrived."_

_Hope laughed lightly, kissing his cheek. "Good morning, Orion. Was there any reason for disturbing me so early on such an _important_ day?" she asked, turning away to sit on her bed, meeting her friend's eyes when she looked back._

_"I thought we had agreed to go out this morning," Orion began, a smile still on his lips._

_"Yes, but not necessarily so early," reasoned Hope, waving away his comment. "Some people need their beauty sleep."_

_"What are you doing, then, still sleeping?" challenged Orion, causing his friend to blush bright red._

_However, Hope chose not to say anything, playing with the ribbon on her nightgown instead, before focussing her attention onto the lace around the sleeves._

_"I can go home if you want me to, though," Orion pointed out, getting to his feet and unlatching the window._

_Hope was by his side in a flash, taking his hands away from the window and holding them tightly in her own. "I never said you could actually go."_

_"And since when have you been in charge of me?" replied Orion, laughing._

_"Well, it was never officially dated, but for a while, I think," Hope decided, spinning away from her best friend, although one of her hands was still linked to his. "But when have you ever complained?"_

_"That's true." Orion sighed. "I've never been able to complain about you."_

_"Exactly." Hope stayed still as Orion kissed the back of her hand, before bowing deeply. When he stood back up, she smiled and said, "If you wait here for a moment, I will just change into my dress for the Reaping, so that I don't have to do that later. I cannot imagine for how long you plan to steal my time." She pulled her hand out of his and walked to her dress, taking it into the bathroom to get changed into._

_When she came back out, she was wearing one of her mother's old dresses from District Four: a soft coral dress, which fell to her knees, with a turquoise lace overlay- part of the back cut out- the little button at the back to do it up the same colour as the lace._

_Before she got the chance to ask if it was too much, Orion had already smiled at her, complementing her on the dress. He then moved straight on to point out, "You always lie on your right side when you sleep, don't you? It's the only side that you can sleep on."_

_Hope frowned slightly. "And what if that's true? What does that mean, oh-so-great-and-genius Gradwell? Am I going to die suddenly when I lay on my left side, or will I trip when I walk on the left side of a road?" She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for her friend to answer._

_"Actually, Hope, I was just going to say that the only side I can sleep on is my left, because I'm worried I'll miss something that happens to you if I sleep on my right," he admitted. "When I lie on my left side, I'm looking towards your house."_

_"That's creepy, Orion," Hope complained._

_"When you lie on your right, you're looking towards mine," reasoned Orion, before the girl got the chance to add anything else._

As Hope sits on where her best friend slept for the last time in the District, she realises that he was right. Not only was he laying on his left, but he would always lay so that he was facing her, no matter where they were laying or how uncomfortable it would be for him. Too, she has not been able to sleep, no matter what direction she's been laying in, recently.

She sighs, sitting back further onto his bed, wrapping the covers that still smell of him around herself. Although she does not want to rid the room of any evidence that he was real, she will do anything to make it seem as if he's still with her, even if it involves resorting to wrapping herself in his old covers, so that it seems as if he is still protectively holding her.

As some of her tears begin to soak into the covers, she squeezes her eyes shut and hugs her knees closely to her chest. She lies there, feeling somewhat more relaxed if she imagines that her best friend is still laying with her, too, and allows a faint smile to find its way onto her lips, still through the tears. It doesn't take long, therefore, for a peaceful sleep to soon take her for the first time in months.

_When Hope opens her eyes in her dream, she sees her best friend nearby and she walks over to him, a smile on her lips. She reaches him and realises that he has a similar smile, although possibly bigger. Just as she goes to ask him what he is so happy about, he softly holds her hand within his own, pressing a finger to his lips with his other hand as he begins to walk._

_Following his wishes, Hope stays silent when she walks through the District from her house in the Victors' Village, until they reach Orion's house and make their way into his room. He smiles and lets go of her hand, picking up a slip of paper, instead, and handing it to her. The girl glances down, reading the words on the paper but, when she looks up to ask him what it means, he has disappeared._

_She rolls her eyes when she sees this but continues to smile, anyway, lifting the skirt of her floor length, strapless indigo dress, the skirt falling in many ruffles from beneath her silver beaded waistband. As if it's the first time she has seen her dress, she shakes her head at its extravagance, leaving her best friend's house to follow his clue._

_She reaches the next one and pauses, half expecting Orion to arrive. When he doesn't, however, she sighs and reads it, spinning around quickly when she hears whispers coming from around her. She has no idea where they're coming from or who they're from, but she knows that they aren't something that she wants to listen to. Although she can make out little, she can make out the message: the hostility aimed towards "baby"._

_Hope tries to run away from the voices to the next clue, but the voices follow her there and continue their taunts. However, this time, Hope reads the clue and covers her ears, walking away and trying not to listen to the hard words, even though she can still hear them through the covering of her ears. She continues this, until she stops when she sees those in front of her._

_She instantly recognises them as Fearne and Elijah, the brother and sister that were entered as the two tributes for District Seven. When she was in the Games, she felt sorry for the situation that they were in- because she heard that they had left behind a disabled sister on her own- but, as they stand with looks of anything but sadness on their faces, she cannot anymore._

_"It won't last," they say together. "You won't love them forever. Something else, something more "important" will come up and you'll abandon them. You won't care, however, and you'll leave them to fend for themselves for a while. A while can easily turn into forever, though, and you'll never return. They'll never get to live a proper life, just because you were too unloving to realise or care."_

_Hope doesn't have the chance to try and work out what they mean, before they have disappeared and she's on her own again, soon setting out after the next clue. However, as she goes, she continues to try and work out the meaning behind their words and the words of the other tributes, because she has no idea who "baby" or the person that the brother and sister were speaking about is._

_At the next clue, her back hits an invisible wall when she tries to run away before she has heard the next tributes speak. This time, it is Belle and Logan, the mother and father of her Games, although they no longer look like that. Even though Logan still has an arm around his wife and they have wedding rings- which they didn't have during the Games- Belle no longer has her baby bump._

_Like the tributes before them, they speak together, saying, "There's no point in them. Too much trouble will happen to you because of them, even before they really come into your life. In fact, _everything_ happens as it shouldn't do. And you can't escape it. You will lose everything from before, and then you'll lose them, too. Nothing will stay the same."_

_As soon as they have gone, Hope can suddenly move on again, trying to quickly move through the orchards without disturbing anything. No longer has she got to avoid listening to the tormenting voices that followed her from the first clue, taunting her all the way, because she knows now, instead, that something worse will come when she reaches the next clue._

_The first thing she notices when she reaches the final clue is the setting of it is remarkably similar to what Orion, in the Games, said it would be. There is, like the clearing in the Arena, a green spot of land, surrounded by a circle of trees. In the middle is a river, fed by the huge waterfall, near which are the groups of rocks, placed carefully as seats._

_Seeming to forget all about what she just struggled through, Hope smiles and walks into the clearing, expecting Orion to arrive at any moment, too, reappearing at her side and holding her close to his chest. She heads towards the seated stone area, humming to herself when she does so, and allows the smile on her face to grow when she sees what she guesses to be the final clue, waiting for her there._

_"So then, who finally got Miss Hope Demers in bed?" Hope spins around when she hears Ranger's voice coming from somewhere in the clearing, instantly fearing for her life when she spots him drawing closer to her, a weapon in his hand. "Who broke all the boundaries that she had set herself, just to say that _they_ were the one to overcome what she had promised?"_

_"I bet you're regretting it now," adds Stella, his District partner when she begins to come closer, too, taking a knife from beneath her jacket. "We'll make sure you remember it, though. First, we'll kill whoever it was, and then we'll kill you. But, don't worry, we'll kill it before it's born, as well. We don't want you to _fear_ for it. We won't make it see its mummy and daddy murdered before its eyes. We're not that cruel."_

_"But you killed us both." The two Career tributes say the last sentence together, both pointing their weapons towards Hope._

_Before they manage to do anything to her, Orion comes into the clearing, seeming to make them disappear when he appears. He catches Hope before she falls, sitting down carefully with her on his lap, stroking her back gently. His best friend wraps her arms tightly around him and buries her face in his neck, wanting to say something but unable to find the words._

_"It's okay, Hope," he whispers for the first time in a while. "I promise that they won't get either of you. I will protect you both with my life, like I have since forever. You didn't ever want this, but I did, and I'm sorry. You don't deserve to have to go through something that you don't want. But, realise that I will still love you, however you choose to react to them."_

Hope wakes up before the sun has even begun to really rise, feeling something like a muscle twitch in her stomach. She sits up and rubs where she feels the 'twitch' coming from, as if she is trying to relieve the tiny pain, but she only feels the slight movements more clearly when her hand is pressed against her stomach. Confused at the slight tickling sensation, she tries to think of what it could be, until she begins to cry.

"No," she sobs, her face in her hands. "I can't- It- No. I can't be." As she sits still, she remembers how she, many times, told Orion that she would never have children, until they were in the Arena and she said she could change her mind for him. But it _couldn't_ have happened. It didn't, really. It was just once, the night before the Games, when she said she loved him for the first time, properly, in years.

When her tears have finally lessened a little, she looks around, placing her hands protectively over where she can still occasionally feel tiny movements. Although she somewhat dislikes the prospect of having a child at all, let alone one when she's so young and without their father there, she supposes that there's no better way for her to remember him. She just won't let anyone else know, somehow.

Soon, she dries her eyes on the back of her hand, before she stands up, looking around the room for a final time in the sunlight. Suddenly, she smiles, thinking about, as this is solely her room now, how she could put pictures around the room, with the other ones, of her and their child when they're born, just so that it will seem that he'll eventually see them.

Having decided that she will definitely do that, she walks back to the window, pausing for a second to breathe in deeply, noticing a small folded piece of paper there. She stops going to open the window and picks it up instead, unfolding it and seeing the writing of her best friend. She knows there's no need to be wary- for what she saw was just a bad dream- so she, eventually, carries on, anyway.

_Okay, you probably think I'm mad- and the truth is that I am- but trust me. I've already spent the day with you, and now I've brought you back home again. I've given you this piece of paper and run away. Not the politest of goodbyes, I must admit, but you should understand soon. When you find me. First clue? We should have been working there today, but the interviews we missed are more important._

Hope allows a small smile to cross her face as she raises a hand to her stomach, gently rubbing the currently unmoving area. "That's right, baby, you don't need to worry anymore. We're going to go to find your daddy, and I swear on my life that, whilst you're still with me, I will let no one even contemplate hurting you." Hearing herself speak to no one makes her smile grow because she is beginning to love the idea of it now.

She carefully climbs out of the window, still not wanting to disturb anyone in the house, least of all the little person inside of her, and then locks the window back behind her. She quickly glances at the rising sun and decides that she most definitely has enough time to continue to the end of the trail, even though she's probably only got a couple of hours until she needs to be home again.

Immediately, she sets off in the direction of the orchards, in which all the children are meant to work in, until they turn eighteen. After that point, they would be assigned another, more important job, which needed more advanced skills, which could come from a quick couple of hours training session. The Government were just lucky that they could learn so quickly.

She decides to take the less used and less publicly viewed streets on the way there, not really because she wants to put herself in higher risk, but because she doesn't want everyone to see the Victor and wonder what she's doing so early in the morning. This thing, originally, would have just been for her and Orion, so why does it have to be seen by everyone, now that she's famous?

Because she is in such a rush to get there, it takes her much less time than it usually used to. Although she does not know why she does, she smiles when she sees where she used to spend most of her time with her friends, when she was meant to be working. Now, an hour or so before work starts, it's currently empty, but the bright colours of the trees and the fruits still make it seem appealing.

Instead of looking through the whole area of orchards, she heads straight to where she and Orion spent most of their time, even though it wasn't their official designated area. Often, they would spend days lying on their backs, soaking up the sun, before they would rush around at the end of the day, taking turns to climb the trees and throw fruit to whoever was on the ground.

When she climbs through a fence into the area, she sighs, realising that, obviously, no one has gone in there since they left, because it's now so overgrown. However, she becomes not quite as sad when notices the huge tree that they would spend their few breaks under, much of the fruit from its already heavy branches having, unfortunately, fallen to the ground beneath.

As she walks closer, she sees a piece of paper pinned to the trunk, its probably original crispness disappeared, due to the long months spent outside in multiple hot spells, with the occasional storms thrown in, too. She does not mind, however, and touches a hand to the wood just above the note, looking up at the dappled light through the leaves, before she picks up her next clue.

_So, you're finally one step closer to finding me. I thought you might have given up, just because my last clue was so difficult to solve. And I'm sure that you're no closer to working out why I'm sending you on an unexplained trail around the District. It should all make sense eventually, so, whilst you're trying to work out how it will, I'll send you to where you promised that you'd live with me._

A tear slips down Hope's cheek as she, once again, regrets that she always said that she never wanted something like he wanted, even though she had told him when they were younger that she did. So much more could have happened but, as she has found out recently, she supposes that she won't necessarily be missing out on everything, she just won't have him with her through it all.

She pockets the second clue and takes off again, taking slow, deep breaths to compose herself, just in case someone from the District sees her and wonders what she's suddenly got so emotional about. This time, luckily, she doesn't have to take a way that will be seen by many people, as she can just move through the orchards, anyway.

No doubt, everyone wants her to stay away from the meadow, after what happened last time. However, she knows that she cannot spend more than four months there because, for one thing, she will have to be back at her house soon, but, mainly, she wants to finish whatever her best friend has started. Thinking about this, she speeds up her pace a little more, to get there a bit quicker.

When she steps onto the final path to get there, she pauses for a moment and looks at the route that she did not really pay any attention to the last time she came. Now that she's on her own, without her best friend holding her hand all the way there, it looks so much longer. Not one of the original people she went there with for the first time are left.

Sighing, she carries on her walk, up the remainder of the path, until she appears in the grassy meadow. Obviously, no one has been there to attend to it- she makes a mental note to employ someone there as a gardener- but, here, the wild, overgrown plants suit the place. The tall grass, which now reaches above her knees, reminds her of what it was like when she was younger, and the random flowers add to the mood of the place.

She tries not to look around at too much of the surrounding area as she heads towards the house, knowing that it will slow her down and break her as well. Instead, she focusses on the small house that is the only thing that appears unchanged as she unknowingly looked after it was whilst she was there. She just wonders how out of it she must have been to not notice the clue he left her.

As she reaches the front door, she finds the key in her pocket that hasn't left her side since she was reunited with it in the Arena. She pushes it into the lock and turns it, slowly opening the door when she's replaced the key back into her pocket, breathing in deeply, before she walks into the house, trying to prepare herself for what she didn't really see last time.

When she finally walks in, she has to bite her lip to stop herself from crying. She can't have noticed it when she was staying in the house- all the details must have passed her by- but it does look considerably more habitable than before. On the other hand, the last time she was there, perhaps she was just more worried about herself and the fact that there were other people in their house to notice any details.

First, she searches around the two chairs in the living room and the little table, finding nothing under, on top of or near them. Then, she looks behind the curtains at the windows, also checking in all the seams she had sown at the bottom, just in case he persuaded his mother to unstitch and then restitch them, with a note inside. Unfortunately, these guesses are wrong.

Next, she moves into the other part of the room, which acted as a kitchen, whenever they needed it. It has no more than the basic things they'd need: an oven, a sink and draining board, and a few cupboards with, now, nothing more two sets of dinner necessities and cooking utensils, but she checks every detail of them, just in case. Again, she finds her search unsuccessful.

Although she is absolutely certain that there will be nothing in there, she checks in the bathroom. There's less than there was in the other room, so, once she's looked in all the obvious places, she slows down her pace of searching throughout the rest of the room, therefore taking more time to look. It doesn't take her long before she gives up and walks into the final room.

The first thing she does when she walks into the bedroom is she sits down on the bed, crossing her legs up in front of her on the mattress and wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. She sighs softly and shuts her eyes, breathing in deeply as she thinks about the simplicity of the house, but all it meant to them. She realises that the room she sits in holds so many memories on its own.

Without thinking about it, she gently rubs her stomach, glancing down when she opens her eyes. "I was going to live here with your daddy," she whispers. "It would have been your house, too. We would have slept here and you could have had a little homemade bed on the other side when you were older. I guess you can still live here, but just not with your daddy."

As the tears land on her cheeks, she drops the blanket onto the bed, carefully smoothing it back out, and climbs onto the floor. She reaches beneath the bed, without really knowing why, and draws a small wooden box from under it. She slowly flips the lid open to reveal the contents of the box, most importantly, for now, at least, the third clue that she's been searching for.

_I bet you're really missing me now, aren't you? You took your time with that last clue. No, I'm joking. I must admit that one was probably a bit mean. I only told you where it was basically; I gave you no details. The next one should be easier, I hope. There, we sat in one place only, whilst we watched something that only people like our family could do here._

Hope wipes her eyes dry on the hem of her dress after she has rested her head in her hands for a few minutes following reading the end of the clue. No matter how much she desperately wants it to be true, she knows that he is not writing them as she goes along the trail; what she's reading are messages from her dead best friend. It's just unfortunate that it sounds as if he is still alive.

She takes her time to get back onto her feet, resting against the wall for a moment when she is standing. Eventually, it takes all her willpower to move her out of the room, back through the front room and out of the front door. There, with shaking hands, she manages to push one of the keys back into the lock, keeping the contents of the house safe for a little while longer.

It takes less than a minute for her to cross to where her best friend's father went to for an hour or so, whilst the two young children enjoyed the meadow for the first time. She spots the reasonably sized lake and sighs softly, the still surface sparkling, reflecting the early morning, golden and blue sky. She wonders why she didn't come here when she was unaware of the world.

Dreamily, she makes her way to the edge of the calm water, only sitting down when she finally reaches the little platform into the water. When she's sat on it, she remembers how she and her best friend would sit there, together, watching as the boy's father taught them to fish, just in case they would need another way to gain money.

What he taught them, she now realises, was his only remaining link back to the world he had to leave. He wanted to teach his son and his son's best friend it, so that they could continue to use what they would have used if they had stayed in his home District. Unfortunately, she realises as well, if they had stayed in Four, they wouldn't have had half of the problems they had in Eleven.

Becoming wishful, she brushes her fingers over the surface of the water, breaking its stillness. However, in contrast, the ripples that spread across the lake from the one point of contact from her fingers calm the girl, allowing her to smile just a little. She hasn't been in control of much recently, so just being able to make water move seems like a great achievement to her.

Soon, when she sees the golden sky beginning to turn more of a pale blue on the horizon, she snaps out of her thoughts, reaching beneath the platform without looking. As she thought she would, she finds another piece of paper stuck to the bottom of the wood and she carefully pulls it away, desperate to neither let it rip when she takes it from its hiding place, nor let it break, if it were to touch the water.

_I'm sorry if I disappoint you, but this will be your final clue. It's not because I can't be bothered to make anymore, but, and I don't know about you, I just can't wait to see you now. However, this is going to be the most difficult of all to find. You know the trees behind our house and the tree we could climb to the top of and see the whole District? Continue walking straightforward after that and you'll find me._

This finally breaks Hope completely because, no matter how much she wishes for that to be true, she knows that she will not find her best friend at the end of a treasure trail. He had it all completely prepared, as if he knew he wouldn't get the chance to on the day, because they were both taken away from it all, before they even had a chance. Actually, they did have a chance before, she just chose not to take it.

Now, like many times before, she feels as if it's her to blame for her best friend's death, the reason why he's not standing next to her anymore. She was too selfish to realise that what he wanted was also what she wanted before. If she had realised, they could have had so much longer together, not just the final few moments when she needed another's comfort.

She does not have the time to pity herself or mourn for her best friend because she quickly gets to her feet, walking away, even with tears still in her eyes. No longer does she care what people may think about her because she's sure that most of them know that the Games broke her. If not, after her interviews in the Capitol, at least, they certainly will.

When she steps back onto a normal street that leads through and around the District, she ducks her head down, trying to avoid most of the confused glances in her direction. Because it's still so early in the morning, people could, if she was lucky, mistake her for someone else, someone less important. If not, they should know better than to disturb her.

Perhaps, she thinks, some of them even knew about her best friend's plans and kept them a secret from her then, as he would have wanted them to, and have decided not to break her further since her return from the Capitol. Or they just haven't had the chance to tell her is a possibility, too. If that's the case, she wonders, will they guess where she's headed, or did he manage to keep _that_ a secret?

It takes her a few minutes to reach their two houses again but, as soon as she has, she changes the direction of her feet, so that she is headed towards the trees behind the houses instead. She carefully pushes through the branches, ducking under the lower hanging ones, walking towards the tall tree that she cannot yet see. When she does see it, she only stops when she can touch the trunk.

She rests her forehead against the cool wood for just a second, before she begins walking forward, into part of the District that even she has not been into before. As she does this, she slows her pace a little, treading warily, unsure of where to go and what the area is actually like. She just hopes that, when the clue said to go straight forward, it actually only is straight forward.

Soon, she realises that her pace here is similar to what it was like when she was in the Arena, but she just hopes the circumstances will not be the same. Instantly, she tenses up, reaching behind her for a bow and arrow that she no longer carries. She tries to brush away this reaction with a laugh, but she cannot convince herself with it, hoping, instead, that no one _will_ actually come for her.

Suddenly, after pushing past a particularly overgrown tree, she glances forward and spots another small slip of paper. Confused as to why there's another clue after her final one, she hurries over to it, anyway, and picks it up without a moment's hesitation, not only desperate to read something from her best friend again, but also wondering what he is going to say.

_I know that I said that the last clue was your final clue and, really, it is. I just wanted you to know that you are heading in the right direction to find me. Congratulations for making it this far on your own- my last clue was not too helpful either- so I am just going to tell you that you'll go past this final wall of trees, and then you'll find me. I'm sorry it won't be much. I just hope what I will say will make up for it._

Hope smiles slightly as she wipes away her tears, as if she believes that she will still see him behind the trees, so wants to look the best possible for him. Then she sighs and shakes her head, believing that she has certainly gone mad- because he won't be there, no matter what she would give for that to be true- before walking forward and through the final trees.

She steps past the trees and catches her breath, convinced that she is now back in the Arena. Too close to what was recreated there is what she is standing in. It is also uncomfortably similar to what she saw in her dream and was nearly attacked in. This time, however, she knows that she should not be fighting for her life, but she also knows no one will be there to save her if she does.

A slightly smaller circle of land to what she was used to is surrounded by the tall protective trees, which shelter her from the reality of the outside world. Unlike all the other untended pieces of land, the grass and its little flowers have not become overgrown in her best friend's absence. The most obvious parts that have hardly changed from the Arena are the stone pieces of "furniture" and the river, although, here, not fed by a waterfall.

Tears flood her face when she walks towards one of the stone seats, sitting gently on it and wondering how many hours her best friend would have spent there, trying to make it perfect for her. And he never got to show the actual one to her properly. If she had never gone to his house last night and found that note, she may never have seen it.

She can hardly see through her tears when she feels something brush against her hand and she looks down to see a slightly larger piece of paper. She wipes her eyes dry, and then breathes in deeply, calming her nerves as she picks up the paper, her dry eyes allowing her to read the note, without her tears smudging the words on the already somewhat damaged note.

_Hope,_

_If you're reading this, I'm sorry. You can only be reading this if I'm not there to hide it from you. And, if I'm not with you, I'm going to hope it's because I'm a stupid, horrible person that did something unforgivable, so you never want to see me again, and certainly not for a reason like you just can't see me again._

_If I did do something incredibly stupid, I'm going to say sorry here, just so you've got it in writing, in case I won't actually say it in words. I will actually mean sorry, even if I can't form the words. But, if that's the case, I beg you to go and find me and make me say it. I don't care in whatever way you get me to say it, but I deserve to die if I hurt you so badly that we'll never speak again._

_In the other case, if I'm not with you through no fault of my own, I am still sorry. I don't want to imagine why I wouldn't be with you, but there's only one really reasonable justification of why I wouldn't be there. I don't want to say it, however. I just know that it's got to be the only reason because the Government wouldn't let one of our families leave a District again, and I wouldn't leave without you, anyway._

_I can't avoid it, though. If I went into the Games on my own and didn't come out alive, I'm sorry. I should have fought so hard and won, because I had all the opportunities handed to me that should have ensured my Victory. As well, I would have had you to return to. You and a life that you never wanted to live, but I still do. You alone should have provided me with enough motivation to come back._

_If I did fight to the best of my abilities and still didn't come back, that would mean that I wasn't fighting for myself. I would have been fighting for you, over myself. If the world turned against us and reaped us both for the Games, I cannot blame myself. However, I will have been protecting you with my life, which would be the reason why you could read this message, but I couldn't hide it from you._

_So, if you can't go and find me, to demand that I come and show you where you are and mean it, I tried. I really did. But, now, I should probably tell you why I would have brought you to the clearing. That is, if you haven't already guessed, which I hope you haven't, because that would spoil the surprise. By the way, it's your seventeenth birthday surprise._

_I'm writing this message on the night before the Reaping, and then I will set all the clues out in the District, which will be the reason why I won't be with you tonight. No doubt, soon I will regret the decision to not spend it with you- especially if you're reading this- but I plan to make up the time tomorrow morning. However, I have no idea if or when you'll read this._

_I should move this out of your sight on the night of interviews, the night of my birthday and the night before yours, before you reach me. If you are reading this, perhaps I just didn't hide it well enough. To reach here, you will have at least found the clues I left out for you, even if I didn't want you to or didn't have the opportunity to present them to you._

_I wanted you to be here after a week or so of me telling you just how much I love you and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Maybe that'll be the reason why we're no longer speaking, but I sincerely hope that's not ever the case. I wanted this to be the perfect end to a perfect week, which would, ideally, provide the start to a perfect life with you._

_Honestly, I don't care how clichéd it's going to sound, but I seriously want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I'm sorry if that won't happen. I was planning- for more than months, admittedly- exactly how this would happen, including all the smallest details. I was really hoping that they would all happen exactly as I wanted them to but, if you're reading this, they obviously haven't._

_Now, the important things. I may have kept this clearing from you for too long, but for a good reason. I've been preparing this for you to the finest details again. Although it may look beautiful now- and it did before, too- I've been helping it look so good. Only I have been caring for the flowers, keeping the grass short, and building things of stone._

_Because I've been building everything, I can hide something that I should keep on me at all time, but I won't, just in case something like this happens, when you could be here without me. Really, I want to be with you when you find what I'm talking about, so I can see your reaction, but I won't if you're reading this. Saying that, however, maybe I've gone for the Games and you've found it before I've got home._

_If you have found this note, you will have looked under the sofa-type stone structure. Can you see a group of stepping stones across the river? Go across them- carefully, of course, because I won't be there to catch you- and you should see a stone with a hole in the middle, but a piece of material covering the front. Lift it up and you'll find your birthday present inside._

_What do you think you'd say?_

After Hope follows his instructions exactly and she lifts out a little box, she sits down heavily on the ground and stares at it. "Not again," she whispers. "Please don't do this to me again." Despite saying this, she holds her breath, sliding her finger around the edge of the lid, and allows the warm tears to slide down her cheeks, landing on the dress that lies across her knees.

When she finally braves flipping the lid off of the box, she first looks at the short note on the inside of the lid, explaining where the money for the surely expensive gift came from.

_I'm sorry that I didn't save up for years to buy this for you because, if all goes to plan, we're going to need the money that I've been saving. This was my mum's great grandmother's._

Slowly, almost regretfully, she looks down at the little ring, which must have been carefully placed on a soft, old cushion. The band is made of rosy golden colour of gold, tiny leaves made of the precious metal. Held at the front of the ring is a small, clear diamond, which reflects the bright early morning sunlight that has begun to appear above the trees.

She smiles wishfully as she unclips the clasp of the locket, so she can slip the ring onto it, too, where the long chain will sit against her kicking baby bump. She rubs it gently and says quietly, "Of course I'd say yes, you desperate little boy. I may have been crazy then- and of course I'm crazy now- but I would never say no to that. I loved you _so much_, even if I wouldn't admit it, and I need you here, now, to help me with our baby. Please."

* * *

**A few months after she returned from her Victory Tour, Hope gave birth to a blonde girl with brown eyes, called Oriana Gradwell; to everyone else, she was called known as Evamore Nightingale, because they all believe that Hope adopted her to keep her preoccupied, during the time when she was "ill". During Hope's "recovery time", her family went to stay in the Capitol, but they never returned.**

**However, two and a half years later, she finally went out with Oakley, after receiving constant "warnings" from Snow that she took as threats towards her daughter. **

**Four years after Oriana was born, Hope married Oakley, and she slept with him three months after that; at this time, she was taking Capitol drugs to prevent a pregnancy, whilst still making the person seem as if they were pregnant, so that Hope could adopt later and convince everyone that the child was actually hers. **

**Five months later, Hope gave birth to a second daughter called Aspen because the drugs did not take effect as soon as she realised. Because of the fact that the drugs were working against the pregnancy, on top of her months premature birth, Aspen was born incredibly small and frail, with problems with normal things occasionally, like trouble with walking and breathing.**

* * *

**Author's Note: The sequel's finally up- yay! I hope that it's everything you wanted it to be so far, although it hasn't really begun. For the prologue, I thought I'd just throw in a twist, and then the actual story will begin about eighteen years later, when Oriana/Evamore (I'll call her Eva, just to make it easier) is seventeen years old *hint: that's the year of the ****Seventy Fourth Hunger Games***

**In the next chapter, Eva spends the last day/night with Aspen and Hope, before Aspen's first reaping.**

**There's not really much else to say, but I hope you enjoyed this and continue to enjoy it in the future! Review!**

******Quickly, however, I need to find out if Miss _RadMalfoyCookie _has been, somehow, finding all my notes for this story and _I Volunteer, _so that she can "predict" what will happen... As well, I wonder if there's anything else she'd like to predict?**

******Review (again?)!**


	2. Chapter 1: Freedom

**Chapter One- Freedom**

(Evamore)

As I sit on the swing in the garden, I bring my knees up to my chest and rest my chin on the them, watching as the moon begins to rise over the horizon. Sighing, I stay still, until I feel someone's eyes on me and I glance around to see Aspen. "Hey," I say softly, smiling at her.

She smiles back, but doesn't say anything, hiding her hands within the folds of her dress.

"Did you want to talk about something, Asp?" I ask, patting the space beside me.

She sighs, too, and walks towards me, picking her steps carefully, before she reaches the ground by the swing and looks towards me, almost with fear in her dark eyes.

Automatically, I lift her up and place her on my knee, wrapping my arms around her small form, her shaking easily passing through the whole of her. "Hey, it's okay," I whisper into her ear, rubbing her back. "You know that I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

She sniffles slightly, keeping her chin on my shoulder as she replies, "Eva, I've never been more scared in my whole life."

"That's because you've never had anything to be scared about before, and you have no reason to be scared now," I argue, squeezing my eyes shut.

"But mum's a Victor," she mutters. "They'd love it if I went into the Games. I wouldn't be able to fight and I'd die in the Bloodbath. It would be hilarious for them-"

"Your name's only in there once," I remind her.

She tightens her grip around my back. "Rue's isn't, though. She's got her name in. More times than that because of taking tesserae."

"I thought mum told her not to!" I complain. "Mum promised to give her family anything that they need-"

"That's precisely it," she interrupts. "Her family's like anyone with a heart. They weren't going to accept charity."

"It wasn't going to be charity," I mumble.

"Rue knew that, but she said she still couldn't take it," she explains. "But that's partly why I'm scared! What if she's reaped because they didn't want our help?"

"Aspen," I say, opening my eyes to stare at the darkening sky over the tiny girl's shoulder. "You and Rue are both like family to me. I'd sacrifice myself for either of you in a heartbeat."

"I don't want you to volunteer yourself up for the Games," she disagrees, shaking her head on my shoulder. "Eva, you don't have to because you have no actual responsibility towards me-"

"They got rid of the no volunteers rule to make the Games more heartfelt again, and, anyway, I've already said that I'd give up anything to protect both you and Rue," I repeat, sitting back, so that I can gently hold her shoulders. "I am never going to let anything happen to either of you. Do you think I'd be able to sit back and watch either of you competing in the Games?"

Slowly, she shakes her head, watching me closely.

"Precisely." I sigh. "Asp, your mum's trained me for this, for exactly this reason. She doesn't want you to be reaped, and neither do I. Granted, I was originally here to comfort your mum whilst she was ill, but now she's better and she's got you. She doesn't need me anymore in the way that she needs you."

She looks down, folding her hands in her lap. "That doesn't make it any easier. I don't want the burden of you sacrificing yourself for me."

I exhale heavily, shutting my eyes for a moment, before opening them to see that Aspen is, once again, watching me. "Look, Asp. Neither you, nor Rue need to worry about the Games. You're both only twelve and you've both got full lives planned out ahead of you. Neither of you are going to get reaped, so there's no need to be scared. And, anyway, I'll be there for you, through anything. I've already survived five Reapings and I've watched most Games in my lifetime. I can help you with anything for them."

"I don't envy you there," she mutters, a small smile tugging on the corner of her lips. "I'd hate to be a part of most of District Eleven's tributes' Games, like you have been."

I shrug. "Sure, it makes it difficult to see the Games with them in, but I've got a pretty good idea of how the Games Makers think now." I tap her nose, offering a hand out to her. "For all you know, with my knowledge of the Arenas and the Games, I could be a Games Maker in secret."

Finally, the smile breaks out across her lips and she laughs, drawing out a smile from me, too. "In that case, Eva, please warn me of what you plan."

"I wouldn't _dream_ of spoiling it for you, my dear," I answer, putting on a posh Capitol accent as I lift Aspen onto the ground, leading her back into the house. "It would take all of the fun out of it. How could I surprise you if you knew exactly what would happen?"

"I can act surprised- I'm really good acting!" she argues, lifting her hand away from mine as she pretends to look shocked, opening her eyes and mouth wide, placing her hands on her cheeks.

I laugh, so she laughs with me as she takes my hand back, just before I say, "Wow. That was very impressive. _You_ surprised me. Have you ever considered taking up acting as a career?"

As we continue to walk through the house, aiming for the stairs, she puts her free hand on her chin and pretends to think, "Hmmm, well, I've never really thought about it before, but I suppose that I now have. It depends on how much it pays, though. Mum doesn't get much money from what she does," she adds with a wink.

"You know, I think she tries her hardest," I disagree, looking up to see mum watching us, an eyebrow raised. I smile and motion my head upstairs, towards Aspen's room, earning a nod from mum, which tells me that she'll wait down here, until I've got her up there. I don't often get to spend time with my half-sister on her own, so she's allowing me these few moments when I can.

We switch the sides on which we stand almost as soon as we reach the stairs, so that Aspen can use the handrail on the wall, which was put in place especially for her. Slowly, then, we both begin to climb the stairs, her other hand back in mine. I never say it, though, but I know that seeing Aspen struggle with such simple tasks like this pains mum; I mean, it hurts me, but nowhere near as much as it hurts her.

However, I have no time to consider it when Aspen asks, "What are you going to do tonight?"

I look down at her, thinking of what I'm going to say. "Sleep. The sooner I sleep, the faster the Reaping comes, and then the faster it goes away," I lie, for I know for sure that not only will I not be able to sleep tonight for fear of tomorrow, but I've got places that I promised myself I would go to.

"I thought you would maybe be going out to a partying with your friends," she admits. "That's what Rue and I said we will do when we're your age."

"Why would you say that?" I laugh, smiling only a little.

"It's the last night before you could potentially get reaped," she explains. "It makes sense."

"Asp." It sounds like I'm about to scold her, until I add, "That's for the night after, when you've all survived for another year. Eighteen's the big party."

"Yeah, but you're never there for the night after," she reminds me.

"Who says I'm not partying in the Capitol?" I challenge.

She shrugs, a smile also beginning to appear on her lips. "I did, I suppose. Have you met some nice Capitol boys over there?"

"Aspen!" I gasp. "You're accusing me of things that I do not deserve to be accused of!"

"You're not saying that's a no," she reasons, her small smile turning into a smirk.

"Yes, that's a no!" I complain, not planning to give in to her to tell her that, since last year, I have gone to a couple of Capitol parties with the friends that I have over there.

"Of course it is," she mutters, rolling her eyes as she steps onto the landing.

I nudge her shoulder gently, careful enough to not making her topple, or anything. "I promise, dear Aspen, that I would not lie to you about such an important issue. My time when I am in the Capitol is spent only on helping your mum to mentor."

"It sounds like a pretty boring way to spend your time," she decides, the smirk still present on her lips as she walks into her room, dragging me with her.

"I have absolutely no idea of what you're accusing me of," I say, going to sit on the end of her bed, whilst she goes to get changed into her nightgown.

"Yes, you do, Eva," she calls. "I'm telling you that, although I may only be twelve, I'm not entirely innocent. I mean, I know what the Games do to Panem since I was born."

The smile remains on my lips as I watch Aspen come back into the room, climbing into her bed as I turn to face her. "You'll be fine tomorrow, Asp, I promise," I whisper, crawling over to lie on the covers next to her. "Neither you, nor Rue will be reaped. I'll go to the Capitol with your mum, whilst she mentors, then I'll come back with her, so that I can celebrate with you and Rue."

She smiles softly. "I look forward to it, then, Eva. I hope that you plan something exciting."

"Of course I will." I kiss her forehead and slide off of the bed, landing quietly on the floor. "Whenever don't I?"

She just shakes her head. "Night, Eva."

"Night, Asp," I reply, walking over to door and leaving the room behind me. When I leave, I see mum and Oakley outside, so I smile at the both, saying, "She's in bed now, but I'm going to go to my own. I'm really tired and I don't want to be tired for tomorrow."

Mum sighs, but nods. "Okay, sweetie. We'll see you tomorrow morning." As she kisses my forehead, I see the knowing in her eyes, but I don't say anything as I answer to Oakley's wish of a good night's sleep, before heading to my room.

I settle down beneath the covers for a moment, my normal clothes hidden for now, waiting in silence for mum and Oakley to leave the area. As soon as I have heard their footsteps descending back downstairs, I quietly get out of bed and slip a hoodie over my clothes, just in case it gets colder later. Once I've done that, I make my way over to the window and climb out.

Easily, I make my way onto a branch of the tree that is right next to my window, from which I can climb towards the main part of the tree, and then onto the ground in just a couple of seconds. However, as soon as my feet have touched the floor, I set off towards the wall at the back of the garden, silently climbing over it and landing in the forest behind it. From there, I begin my journey into the rest of the District.

As I do every year on the night before the Reaping, I take the less frequented routes around the District to get to the house in the meadow. I always just need a few hours where I won't be disturbed, before the Games begin. The house is ideal because it was never _officially_ shown to me by mum, but I think she knew exactly when I found out about it, and then wanted me to think of it as my own place for a bit.

_A twelve year old Eva sat on the bed in the old house in the meadow, her knees tucked up to her chest as she cried out all of the emotions that she had bottled up for days, but kept for the day before the Reaping. She was there especially because she believed that no one would be able to find her, so she would be free for a while, able to cry on her own, whilst she thought about all that "her mum" had lied to her about. _

_When the girl heard movement in the doorway, she looked up to see Hope standing there. "Don't you dare come over here," she whispered, tears still rimming her eyes as she refused to move. "I don't need you here now."_

_"Eva," moaned Hope, stepping forward. _

_"I'm not 'Eva', am I? That's not what I'm really called!" shouted the girl, although there was no certainty behind her words. _

_Hope stopped where she was, hugging her arms around herself. "You've got to listen to me. I had reasons for doing what I did-"_

_"Stop!" Eva interrupted. "I've heard it better from the people at school than I have from you. Just go home to Aspen and Oakley, whilst I'll be fine here."_

_Tears also began to rim the older woman's eyes, but she refused to go any closer to her daughter. "Please listen to me."_

_Eva shook her head. "I don't care what you've got to say anymore. You lied to me for twelve years. Why only tell me now? Did you want to tell me, before I potentially get reaped, so I don't trust you when you have to be my mentor?" Hope began to complain, but Eva continued. "No, there's no point arguing. I can always go back to District Four for tomorrow. I'm sure Finnick could mentor me."_

_"Don't you dare say things like that." Hope didn't even think, before she walked over to the girl on the bed and enveloped her in a hug. "I love you more than anything, but I just can't say it."_

_"But why hide it from me?" Eva whimpered, not trying to struggle as she buried her face in the older woman's shoulder to cry. "You hid from me for so long that I'm adopted, and you only just told me. You told me now, and it's scaring me. I'm getting nightmares about who my parents are, on top of the ones about me getting reaped."_

_Hope's tears began to land on top of Eva's head as she started to rock her gently. "You have seen your parents before," she mumbled, her words muffled in the young girl's hair. _

_"It doesn't count when I was born," argued Eva. _

_"I didn't mean then," disagreed Hope. "You've watched their Games more than you've watched anyone else's."_

_"They were in the Games?" Eva repeated, sitting up to look at the woman who had just said what she disbelieved. _

_"Of course they were." Hope sighs, looking out of the window. "Why else would they have given you up for adoption?"_

_"I was born _before_ they went into the Games?" Eva guessed. _

_Hope glanced towards her and could see her beginning to do the mental maths of which Games that would mean her parents were in, but the older woman shook her head to stop her. "You were born after. But just your mother survived."_

_"Why did she give me up for adoption?" Eva asked. "She was fine to look after me."_

_"She considered it for a long time, but then she decided not to," Hope admitted quietly. _

_Eva frowned a little as she tried to understand the words. "Was I taken from her, or something?"_

_Hope shook her head again, looking at her hands. "She couldn't let you go."_

_Eva's frown deepened, still trying to work out what Hope meant, until she whispered, "Mum?"_

_Hope looked up slowly, a sad smile on her lips. "Yes, baby."_

_The smile also appeared on Eva's lips as she hugged the woman in front of her. "I love you."_

_Hope hugged her back. "I love you, too."_

_The night before the Reaping when she was twelve, Hope stayed with Eva through the whole night, sleeping with her arms around her, like she did do when she was just a baby._

_The night before the Reaping when she was thirteen, Eva returned to the house in the meadow and Hope came along later again. Hope decided to tell Eva her real name and any other little secrets she had been keeping to protect her. _

_The night before the Reaping when she was fourteen, Hope followed her promise and showed Eva around all the places in the District that had a special meaning to her and her father. _

_The night before the Reaping when she was fifteen, Eva went to the house in the meadow with Hope, but only so that she could check that she would be okay for the rest of the night, as she wanted to be on her own that night. _

_The night before the Reaping when she was sixteen, Eva went to the house in the meadow on her own, but decided to decorate the place, as she knew that would not be sleeping and it would be a treat for Hope._

Now, I'm seventeen and, as I walk through the front door to the house, I know that mum is going to come here tonight, too. I know that her visit here will be a "finally" because she doesn't come here often- I know for a fact that she hasn't come here since the last Reaping- so I do want her to see how I've been looking after it and how I've got to add the things that she and dad never got the chance to.

I look around the rest of the house once, but I then head straight to the bedroom, sitting on the mattress and wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. As I sit still, I begin to wonder what it will be that mum notices first. Although I haven't changed anything, I've made additions to most of the rooms, even if it's only something tiny like adding one more dinner set into the cupboard in the kitchen.

However, I just hope that what I've added hasn't messed up everything in here that mum wanted to keep exactly the same. I may kind of have ownership of here now, even if it's just because I'll use it more than mum, but that certainly doesn't give me permission to rearrange everything to how I want it; in fact, it really gives me the responsibility to look after it all.

It's probably nearing an hour after I arrived when I hear movement in the doorway, and I look up to see mum staring at the small, hand crafted cot in the corner of the room. "You know, I never wanted kids in here, but that suits the room quite well." She smiles softly and looks towards me. "How long has it been there?"

"A few months," I guess with a shrug.

"Really?" She sighs as she walks over to me and takes the empty space on the mattress. "Have I really not been here in months?"

"You didn't come here before last year's Reaping," I remind her.

"I used to spend every possible moment I could here," she whispers, slipping an arm around my waist to hug me close to her. "Mainly, I used to spend my time here arguing with your father about how we weren't going to live here and raise kids together."

"That's a great way to make me feel wanted, mum," I mumble, nestling my head closer to her side.

"You know that I love you more than anything, Ria," she complains, stroking my hand gently. "You and Aspen mean the world to me, now that you're actually in it."

I don't need to be able to see her face to sense the tears tracing their way down it. "She'll be fine tomorrow," I promise her quietly.

"For all that she needs to know and for all that I need to think, of course she will," she agrees, now squeezing my hand. "Her name's only in there once, so she's considerably luckier, compared to most other children in the District."

"Precisely." I try to smile at her from my position by her side. "Only once."

She sighs and looks away from me. "You know it's not true, though, don't you?"

"Don't say things like that!" I complain, sitting up quickly. "I'm in the Reaping with her and you know that I couldn't let her get hurt."

I begin to see more tears falling from her eyes, so I instantly pull her into a hug, just as she says, "I can't let you go into the Arena either. I could protect you all I wanted, but I can't control what actually happens in there."

"There's a reason why you've trained me like the Careers will have trained," I argue. "And it's not just because I'm meant to be a Career, as I'm from District Four."

Her small laugh is so unnoticeable that, when I don't see a smile on her lips, I begin to doubt I heard it in the first place, especially as she then sighs. "You know that, if you go in there, it'll be the same as it was when I went in there," she reasons. "They will have planned it all out-"

"Next year's going to be the third Quarter Quell, however," I interrupt. "That'll give them more of an opportunity to pull off something extravagant."

"That doesn't make it any better," she decides, shaking her head. "It could give them the opportunity to take you both from me."

"Mum," I scold, moving back to look at her. "They won't take either of us."

"And, the year after that, you won't be able to sacrifice yourself for Aspen," she points out, wrapping her hands around mine.

I instantly fall silent, feeling stupid for never thinking of that before, but also guilty for not thinking of my half-sister after I can help her. Admittedly, the day that's drawing ever closer has haunted me for months, and I've been too scared to even contemplate imagining the Quarter Quell, but I've never had the chance to think about after then.

"Oriana." I almost want to object, but I know that, hopefully, here, we will be free to say anything. "You're the only part of him that I have left, and you know that, no matter how much you and I, both, want to protect Aspen, you're _his_ daughter and my first."

"You need to look after Asp," I moan. "She can't look after herself and she definitely wouldn't be able to survive the Games without incredible amounts of help."

"I know, and it's my fault that she's like how she is," she mutters in agreement, dropping her hands from mine and onto her skirt. "If I hadn't been so selfish and just agreed to another child properly, not only would you have been protected, but she wouldn't have been so broken. I'm so worried about her because I know that I caused all that's wrong with her."

I really don't know what to say. She can't mean that having a child properly meant my protection, unless she meant that she would have been able to sacrifice that child- and persuade me not to volunteer if they were reaped- because she would care more about me. I know that could never be true. Or, at least, I hope it couldn't.

One of my biggest wishes, however, is that mum will stop blaming herself for Aspen's condition, when she only did what she thought would be best. She took the Capitol drugs to create the illusion of her pregnancy to the rest of the world, on top of stopping her from actually becoming pregnant; she had no reason to know that they wouldn't begin working straight away. Anyway, if the pregnancy was like the one with me, she wouldn't have needed to treat herself like she was pregnant.

Eventually, she tells me, "You don't have to volunteer when Aspen gets reaped."

"_If_, mum," I argue. "_If_ Aspen gets reaped. But, anyway, you know that I will, of course, volunteer for her."

"That's the thing." She sighs. "I can't risk losing you. You know that, even when I can't do anything for myself, I'll still be doing everything within my power to protect you. When- If Aspen's a tribute, I'll do the same exactly the same thing. I will use _all_ of the Sponsor Gifts to get her out of there alive."

I watch her closely, my fingers fumbling with my necklace, softly questioning, "Do you think that the President would let your child get all of the Sponsor Money that she deserved?"

"I would certainly hope so." She catches my hands, which still hold my necklace, and opens them up to reveal the two rings that dad "gave" to her. "The Sponsors worked in our favour, enough to get me this." She lifts up my hands in hers and kisses the backs of them, before kissing my forehead. "Don't worry about tomorrow, Ria. Neither you, nor Aspen will be reaped, so we'll be able to get on with it as usual."

I smile at her. "I really hope that will happen."

"Of course it will." She hugs me gently, then climbs off of the bed. "I've got to be going home now; will you be alright on your own for the night, as I'm guessing that you're staying?"

"I won't let myself get hurt before tomorrow, just in case," I promise, watching her in the doorway, once again. "I love you, mum."

She returns the smile that's still on my face. "I love you, too, Oriana."

She leaves almost instantly after that, without saying another word, so I lie down on the bed and stare at the wall. I know that I don't have to try to know that I won't be sleeping tonight, as my sleeping has gradually been worsening in the past few weeks and I've never been able to sleep before the Reaping. However, the thought that Aspen will probably be reaped is scaring me more than usual.

Although I don't sleep in the next few hours of darkness, I don't think about much, either, because my thoughts about the Reaping could be just as bad as nightmares about it will be. Instead, I continue to lie in the same position on the bed for a while, tucked up in a blanket, even in the heat, before focussing my attention on the old books that I filled the shelves with.

Strangely, the soft light of dawn appears on the walls much sooner than I expected, so I look up, drop my book onto the bed and sigh. Now, we're even closer to the Reaping, even closer to me probably risking my life for my young and frail half-sister, but at least I didn't imagine the worst that could happen for too long. I suppose that means that I should get back soon.

I get to my feet quickly and straighten the covers on the bed, so that they look as immaculate as they did when I arrived here for the first time. After that, I walk over to the bookshelf and place the one I was reading back with the others, running my finger along the delicate spines, before I turn to leave the room. I almost leave the house in a rush, but I change my pace before I go, so that I look normal.

Again, it seems to take no time for me to find my way back to my home in the Victor's Village, a feeling of dread settling over me as I begin to think of what may happen in just a few hours. Inside the house, I hope that Aspen, mum and Oakley are sleeping soundly, unable to worry about the small girl being sent into the Arena because I'll take her place in a heartbeat. I know that won't be the case, though.

I silently open the front door and walk into the house, shutting it behind me, and then rushing upstairs as quietly as possible. Before she came out to find me, mum must have set out onto my wardrobe door a plain white dress with golden flowers outlined around the bottom, for it is still there when I enter the room, along with some simple white shoes and a golden head band.

Grateful that I have not been given an elaborate Capitol dress to wear- or not embarrassingly over-the-top, anyway- I take the dress into the bathroom, where I slip off yesterday's clothes and throw them into the corner, before trying to relax myself under the warm shower water. Unsurprisingly, it hardly works to calm my thoughts, but my muscles are a little more relaxed when I turn it off.

Once I've dried myself, I carefully put my dress on and smooth down all of the creases, before I put slightly tighter ringlets in my already naturally curled hair, putting the head band on the top. Then, as soon as my clothes from yesterday have been put in the wash, I return to my room and sit on the bed, looking up at the clock. It's just about the time when Aspen will wake up and begin to panic.

I get to my feet and head towards her room, sitting down on the floor when I reach there. I don't want to just be waiting for her nightmares to hit the peak, but, too, I don't want to disturb her sleep, or not be there at all when she wakes up. I just know that, whilst I'm awake and ready, I may as well be there to help her, instead of stressing mum and Oakley out even more.  
However, just before I hear some kind of cry that I am expecting, I get back onto my feet and silently open the door, slipping into the younger girl's room without making a noise. I see her curled beneath the covers, not yet moving, so I walk towards her and sit on the end, careful not to disturb her currently peaceful sleep. Therefore, when I see her small form beginning to shake, I can wake her up and stop the nightmare before a single tear has slipped down her cheek.

"Hey," I whisper softly, rubbing her back. "Are you okay?"

She shakes her head, so I pull her closer, just as she replies, "They chose me, Eva, but you volunteered for me. Then mum couldn't mentor you, and you struggled in the Games, and I had to watch you suffer a long and painful death, and-"

"Aspen," I interrupt. "They're not going to choose you. I'll make sure of it."

"But I don't want you in there either," she mumbles, her voice muffled on my shoulder.

"Your mum's trained me like a Career for this," I reason. "I'd be fine in there."

"Eva," she moans, sitting back to look at me. "Promise me you won't volunteer for me."

I sigh, but agree anyway, although I'm sure that she can see straight through my lies.

She looks at me for a couple more seconds, before taking my hand and dragging me to my feet. I oblige without complaining _too_ much, but then give in when she explains that she'd like my help in preparing for the Reaping as I've had more practise than she has. Laughing, I, again, agree to her wishes and follow her to the wardrobe on one side of her room, helping her choose a suitable dress, before taking her into the bathroom.

Once inside, she insists that she will be fine, but I make her allow me to sit close to the shower; "Just in case," I say. To be honest, she's broken enough as it is, without falling in the shower and hurting herself, but I especially can't risk it today, when she's at a bigger risk than usual. Of course, once she's out, without one single bump or bruise across her body, I begin fussing over her and, I'm sure, I make her hate me.

When I've finally finished helping her, I smile softly when I see her dressed in a richly coloured dress that falls to her knees, a ribbon of a slightly lighter colour around her waist to match the one in her dark hair. She may feel terrified of her first Reaping and the Reaping that we're all sure- although we wouldn't say it out loud to her- will be the one in which she's reaped, but she doesn't look it, which is exactly what the Capitol wants her to look like.

Somewhat unsurely, she returns my smile, twisting a strand of hair around one hand, her other hand scrunching up a corner of her dress. "Are you sure that this is okay?" she asks quietly, looking at me.

"I promise you that you look beautiful," I say, tipping up her chin. "However, if you continue to scrunch that up, it may not be as much."

She laughs nervously and takes my hand again, with the one that was previously preoccupied with her dress.

Together, we walk downstairs in silence, meeting mum and Oakley in the kitchen, where they've already prepared breakfast. Similarly to us, they stay silent, but this only builds the tension in the air, no doubt helping Aspen's nerves to grow. We eat breakfast in silence, and then Aspen and I clear the table whilst mum and Oakley go back upstairs to get ready themselves.

When they've returned to the kitchen, we all head outside, after locking the door behind ourselves. Oakley walks in front with Aspen, holding her hand and making her laugh as much as possible, to distract her from what is about to come. I stay a little further back with mum, wishing more than anything that we could all be like how Aspen is now, or that I could at least make mum smile.

"She's going to be fine," I finally say, glancing towards mum. "I've already told you that she will be."

"Yes, I know, but I've already told you that you should get that thought out of your head." She looks at me, too, before glancing around to check that no one is within earshot. "Please, Ria, don't you dare. I can't lose either of you, but I especially can't lose you."

"Mum," I begin to moan.

"No, stop," she interrupts, tears rimming her eyes. "You mean more than the world to me and I can't see you going anywhere. They brought back the volunteering rule the year after my Games to please the Careers, not to allow _you_ to volunteer. You can't even consider it."

I sigh, but can't continue the argument because we are joined by Rue, her parents and her five younger siblings. Rue, of course, decides to finish the walk down to the Square at Aspen's side, her younger brothers and sisters following her like sheep. Their parents join mum and Oakley, and they're soon engrossed in a conversation about their daughters' first Reaping; I tune out of this, however, because I don't want to hear their gloomy thoughts.

When we reach the Square, I wave goodbye to mum and Oakley, before enveloping both Rue and Aspen in a tight hug. Quietly, I wish them both good luck- although I say that neither of them will need it- and kiss them both on the forehead, before letting them go and heading to the section of the Reaping, designated for the girls of my age. However, I choose not to look around for my friends, focussing, instead, on the District's new escort on the stage.

As far as I can recall, I don't remember there being an announcement made that Bleu Delion- the man who was the escort when mum won the Games- was being replaced, or _retired_ as the Capitol would say. Yet, here, sitting very carefully on one of the District's nicer chairs, is a young Capitol girl, who cannot be more than a few months older than myself.

I watch her intently, until she gets to her feet and makes her way to the microphone on her green high heels, introducing herself as, "Meadow Rose: District Eleven's newest escort." Like every escort I have seen in the past, especially ones that are base in the outer Districts, like this one, she seems too happy for her own good. She is, no doubt, putting up a false facade for every scared child and parent who faces the Reaping, but her own terror in her silvery green eyes cannot be hidden.

As she begins to read out the same speech as we get read every year, I can't help but notice how fitting her outfit is. Her dress appears to be made out of hundreds of petals from different coloured flowers, all sown together to a length that falls just above her knees. The straps of her dress seem to be just vines that are wrapped together, which then wind around with roses through her golden hair, all of which has been piled on top of her head.

The tapping of heels across a wooden stage from a glass bowl full of names, back to the microphone at the centre, brings me back to reality. I bite my bottom lip as my hands begin to work the material of my dress through my fingers, hoping against all that I know will probably be true that Aspen _won't_ be reaped and I _won't_ have to volunteer to save her. Meadow opens the slip of paper to read the name and I can't help but pray for her safety.

"Aspen Glean." For a few seconds, the name rings through my head without making any connections to anything that I know. It seems, too, that the name creates an eerie silence over the Square. However, soon, everything falls into place and I find myself pushing through the crowds of other girls to reach the aisle, seeing the shaking form of the reaped girl standing there.

"I volunteer as tribute!"

* * *

**Author's Note: So I suppose some of you predicted that this was going to happen. Perhaps a congratulations for you is in order, or maybe a slap for me, just because I'm so predictable.**

**Last chapter, I forgot to say that the reason for Hope's odd behaviour in the Games was because she was pregnant; obvious now that I say it, huh? About this chapter and the new character of Meadow, I am really looking forward to seeing how she develops because I feel that there may be a little conflict between her and Eva; however, for an idea of what her dress looks like, I used "dresses made of flowers" or something like that on Google.**

**Thank you for everyone who read the prologue, though. I'm so pleased that people have taken an interest in it already, especially as the amount of interest it's generating for _I Volunteer _is incredible!**

_**RadMalfoyCookie: **_**Yaaaaaaaaay! The first review! And, look- it's another update on another of your birthdays? Actually, I think you'll find that _this _chapter is chapter one; the last one was the prologue, silly ;)**

_**Insert a Catchy Penname Here:**_** I'm really pleased you think so, and I'm so glad that I have a new reader reading it!**

_**vampirevampirevampire: **_**It's good you're so excited and want to read more- same with me, although I have to write the chapters first!**

_**Buttons301: **_**And now you know...**

_**Phoenix Abbot: **_**I'm glad you like it and think it was written well. I hope to explore their relationship more later!**

**In the next chapter, there will be the goodbyes, and then the Reaping Recap.**

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 2: The Volunteer

**Chapter Two- The Volunteer**

(Evamore)

As I finally escape the girls of my age and my feet hit the aisle, the last words I heard echo through my head, slowly, painfully reminding me of what just happened. But relief soon floods through me as I realise that, at least, Aspen's not going to have to go into the Arena. The young girl that mum is so scared of breaking, so scared of seeing hurt will be protected, for this year, anyway.

I see her still standing there, frozen where she left the other girls of her age, and walk quickly over to her, enveloping her in a tight hug from behind. Upon feeling me coming to her, she spins around in my arms, so that her face is against my shoulder, and begins to cry heavy tears, which roll down my skin. "Ssshh," I whisper, hugging her closer to my chest. "Asp, it'll be okay. It's fine. You're safe now."

"But, Eva," she begins to complain, although her tears make her unable to speak much.

"I know," I say, continuing to try to quieten her down, with the unlikely hope that, if she's quieter, the cameras won't be as interested in us. "But you'll be fine. There's nothing you need to worry about."

"Eva," she moans. "They reaped me and- and- you- volunteer."

"I know, I promised you," I agree, shutting my eyes as I lean my cheek against the top of her head. I go to say something else, but a sharp grip on the top of my arm pulls my attention away from my small half-sister in front of me and to the peacekeeper behind.

"You need to move," he instructs, his gaze not flinching as I meet him straight in the eye.

"Not right now," I reply. "When she's recovered, perhaps we will."

"Move _now_, or I'll make you," he challenges.

"Do you not know who we are?" I hiss.

"I know exactly who she is and I can see why I can't use force to move her, but it's for you that I'm having trouble pinpointing a reason why you can't be moved," he answers, without missing a beat.

"I'm not moving whilst she's like this," I repeat.

"The Reaping's finished," he tells me. "Right now, you'll be in the way. _Unfortunately_, you might be trampled by all the lucky children that have escaped the Arena this year. I'd suggest you move on to somewhere quieter. Maybe you should take this little girlie to go and thank the other one who's standing on the stage in her place, instead."

It takes a couple of seconds for his words to sink in and, when they have, I look up at the stage and feel my heart nearly stop. Up on the stage, next to the boy who was reaped- a boy I recognise as Thresh, from the year above mine- is a girl as small and frail looking as Aspen. In fact, she, too, means as much to me as Aspen does. The girl who volunteered to save my half-sister is Rue.

Instantly, I want to shout the words to save her, the ones I had been ready to say earlier, but she had taken out of my mouth, before I could say them. I know that the Reaping's finished now, though, so I have no chance of doing so and, anyway, my thoughts fly back to mum's Games, and I realise that there would be absolutely no chance of two volunteers for the same place, where we're not Careers.

I quickly shake the peacekeeper's hand away as I get to my feet and lift Aspen up with me, not even shooting him a final glare as I carry my half-sister towards the Justice Building. Still shaking, she wraps her arms tighter around my shoulders and her legs around my waist, which means I can feel her heavy breathing, along with her tears, and I rub her back carefully to try and calm her.

As we walk past the area dedicated to parents, I see Oakley slip out, but he doesn't say anything, until we're actually inside of the building. There, he lies a gentle hand on my shoulder and says, "Eva?"

I nod, unable to form words, now that my argument with the peacekeeper is over and I have discovered the volunteer.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly, taking Aspen out of my arms and sitting down with her on his lap. "Both of you?"

Aspen barely nods, so, unwilling to nod for a third time for Oakley, I manage to answer, "I'm fine, Oakley."

He frowns a little. "What happened there?"

I know what he's suggesting: how did Rue volunteer, and how did I not? In all honesty, I, myself, would like to know what happened. Even a few minutes after, I still don't know. It all just happened so fast and I was ready to volunteer, to throw my life on the line for Aspen's, but I heard someone else volunteer, before I had the chance to. I didn't even bother to look who had, before I reached Aspen, because I was just so pleased that someone had saved her, for me.

However, when it comes to answering Oakley, I just shake my head, unable to form the words that I just thought of. Sighing, I sit down next to him and take Aspen's small hand as she rests her head on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Asp," I whisper into her ear.

"It wasn't your fault," she replies in a voice that's hardly there.

"It was, though," I disagree, glancing up at Oakley. "Neither you, nor Rue should have ever gone into the Arena. I was ready to save you and I was about to, but someone got there before I did. I didn't know who it was, but I was relieved that you were safe. When I saw it was Rue, the Reaping was over and I knew that they wouldn't allow Career circumstances in a District like this, again."

Aspen sniffles slightly and I see that her cheeks are still wet from the tears that rim her eyes. "You and mum have to look after her, whilst you're in the Capitol and she's in the Arena."

"Of course I will. I promise." She looks scared still, but I understand why. Every promise I have made recently has been broken.

Before I get the chance to say another thing, however, the door to the Visiting Room opens and Rue's most recent visitors leave; first, her huge family came to say goodbye and to wish her luck, and then they were followed by those who just left: all of her friends, but Aspen. Now, Oakley is going to take Aspen in, and I will take the last visiting spot, after them.

Once they're in, I sit in complete silence, except from the ticking of the clock on the wall opposite me, which tells the peacekeepers exactly how long left the visitors have with the tributes. As I sit there, my hands automatically find the two rings on the chain around my neck, and I begin to hold them tightly as all of my thoughts about the day so far whir around my head.

I have absolutely no idea why Rue would volunteer for Aspen, especially when she must have known that I was ready to. Most twelve year olds are terrified of the Reaping and expect their older sibling to volunteer for them, but she has thrown her life on the line for someone who is the same age as her and not even family. As well, she's got a whole family to cater for, so I suppose we'll finally have to fulfil our promise that they refused before.

Remembering her face as she stood as tribute on the stage hurts me, though, more than I would like to admit. She may not be my sister- and Aspen isn't entirely, anyway- but she's as close to me as Aspen is. I know that helping mum and Leilani to get Rue out of the Arena is going to be difficult for them both, like it is whenever they have to mentor a twelve year, but it will be harder for me.

In reality, I want to go back in time, back to the Reaping, to ensure that I reacted faster to Aspen being reaped, so that I could make sure that I was the one in the Visiting Room, about to be sent away as the District's female tribute. I would have had just about ten years of Career worthy training and I would have had mum as my mentor. With any luck, I could have easily got out.

I am only brought out of thoughts when I feel a small hand on my shoulder and a whisper of, "Eva?"

I look up and to Aspen. "Are you okay?" I reply, knowing that she's not, really.

"I've been worse," she answers, shrugging, even though I can still see the tears in her eyes. "You're her last visitor. I'll see you when you get home."

"You'll see us _both_ when we get home," I correct, after standing up and picking her up. "I promise to look after her."

She sighs as I kiss her cheek, before placing her back on the ground next to Oakley, and waving at him, too.

Once I've seen them leave, I turn and push the door open to the Visiting Room. Inside, sits Rue, with her knees tucked up to her chest as she stares out of the window, not saying a word in acknowledgement of my entrance to the room. Instead of breaking the silence, I walk over to the seat where her feet rest and sit at the edge, waiting for her to speak first.

It takes a few minutes for her to state, "There's a reason why you came in here without Asp and Oakley. You want answers. You want to know why I volunteered first, without letting you."

I wait for her to turn to face me, before I nod, not saying a word.

She sighs and turns around properly, so that her back is against the wall and her eyes are on mine. "You shouldn't have to volunteer for Asp."

I shake my head quickly. "You shouldn't either. She's not your family-"

"According to you, she's not yours either," she reasons.

Frowning slightly, I argue, "She's the closest to family that I've got here, along with Hope and Oakley."

"That doesn't mean you should have to volunteer for her," she repeats.

"I don't get why you felt you had to," I admit. "I did because I couldn't let someone as small and as frail go into the Arena, when I could instead."

"How do you know that I didn't have the same motivation?" she challenges.

I shrug. "I don't know, Rue."

She looks sad suddenly, or even sadder than she was before, and I instantly hug her, resting her head on my shoulder. "You and Hope have a secret. You're incredibly close and, even though I know that you got her out of the mess she was in after her Games, there's a reason that's deeper than that. I don't care what it is, but she could never risk losing you, and I couldn't let it happen either."

Tears are landing on the top of Rue's head when she finishes speaking, but I don't have the chance to reply, before there's a shout from across the room, telling me that my time is up. Drying my eyes, I help the girl to her feet and take her hand in mine, leading her out of the room, to where the other tribute, their mentors and the escort already stand.

Upon seeing everyone else and having the reality of the situation hit her, her hand tightens around mine and I can't force her to let go, so I walk at her side, through the corridors and to the outside world. There, we are all met by a few cameras who want to catch the tribute's reactions before the train, but I know that most of them will be waiting at the station.

First into the car is Meadow, who is talking cheerily- as she has been since we reached them- about how the Reaping is something that she is sure everyone will remember for a while. Following into the car after her are mum and Leilani- mum has to mentor every year, as the latest Victor, and the three other Victors alternate who mentors with her. Last in are the tributes and me.

As the car begins to move, Rue starts to shake and pulls herself closer to me, onto my lap. "Hey," I whisper, stroking her back. "It's okay. We're not in here for much more than a couple of minutes. We'll be out again, soon." She nods, but doesn't say anything, leaving me to wonder what part she'll be playing. Earlier, she was the strong twelve years old; now, I'm not so sure.

Having made my mind up, for her, anyway, I lean towards her ear and say softly, "Look strong for the cameras. You can still stay with me- it will probably add to your favour- but look and act how you want to be."

"I only wish that I could actually be like that, then," she replies quietly, keeping her hand joined to mine as the car pulls to a halt at the station and we climb out. I leave the car first, but I'm followed almost instantly by Rue, who is soon followed by Thresh. As soon as they're out, the cameras begin flashing, but the tributes are, luckily, led away as soon as the mentors and escort have left the car, too.

Once on the train, the silver doors having slid silently shut behind us, the annual routine begins. The two tributes stand still, looks of complete awe over their faces, as they take in luxury that they've never seen before. It is only when the escort shows them the rest of the rooms that they finally move, their shock not disappearing when they see the huge arrays of food. We also have to tell them that we're moving, because they never actually know.

Mum and Leilani sit down at a table with looks of sadness on their features, and I have to try with all my might to keep it away from my face, especially for Rue. The mentors begin discussing strategies instantly, so that leaves Meadow to instruct the tributes on what to do: she will take them to their rooms, so that they can clean themselves up for dinner, and then someone will fetch them for it.

In silence, I follow Meadow's chattering up the corridor to the rooms, where she seems to try to pass the time by filling it _constantly_ with noise. Thresh is dropped off first, at the room marked '11M', so it is still just Meadow who continues to talk as we stop, once we've reached the room named '11F'.

I push the door open, and then crouch down in front of Rue, holding her cheeks in my hands, even though she's still holding one of my hands. "You'll be fine now. All you need to do is clean up and change your clothes maybe, as there will be loads in the wardrobe over there. Actually, you don't even have to do that. You can do whatever you want. But I'll come and collect you for dinner."

She nods, carefully taking her hand out of mine. "I'll see you soon."

I smile at her as I stand up and she steps back, shutting the door behind herself. Once I've heard her footsteps moving further away, I begin walking, too, and sigh heavily. She really _shouldn't_ be in that position, but there's nothing that I can do now, apart from help mum as much as possible to get her out again. I suppose that, until she goes into the Arena, I can also be her comfort.

However, before I can think about it too much, I begin to feel two eyes on the back of my head, so turn around to face the new escort. "Is there something I can do to help you?" I ask coldly. There's something, already, that I don't like about her, and it's not just because she reaped Aspen, and then allowed Rue to volunteer for her.

"Why are you here?" she replies, continuing to walk, shooing me along.

I wait until I'm back in the dining carriage, before I shoot back, "Why are _you_ here?" As soon as the words have left my mouth, I instantly feel stupid.

She raises an eyebrow as she sits daintily on a chair. "I am the latest escort for this District, Miss Demers. I would be a rather useless escort if I did not turn up."

I frown, taking the softer seat opposite her. "I'm not Miss Demers," I mutter. "Or Miss Glean."

"I know that you are not," she admits, with a smirk on her face, the knowing in her eyes scaring me.

"Why this District, then?" I try to cover myself up, glaring at the escort.

"The Capitol decided they would like your District to have a new escort as your old one was here for _so_ long," she answers.

"But why are you so young? You can't be more than a year older than me," I guess.

"I am eight months older than you," she tells me. "But I have been training to do something like this, since I was only a few years old. This was the first opportunity I was given to use what I had been taught to do."

I sigh and look at my hands in my lap, unable to think of anything else to say.

"But you never did answer my original question," she reminds me.

I don't look up as I reply, "The first year when Hope was due to be mentoring, she was too ill to do it. When she was somewhat recovered from her illness, but still," I pause, trying to think of the right word, "unstable, due to her Games, she adopted me. We were both lost, and I helped her recover from both problems. When I was just a baby, she would take me with her to mentor. She still does, I guess."

She stays silent, so I, after a couple of minutes or so, look up to see that she has moved on to talk to the two mentors. A little annoyed, but somewhat glad that I don't have to make conversation with her anymore, I don't bother to follow her away. Instead, I pick up a magazine from the nearby table and fold my legs up, on the seat with me, waiting to be told to collect the two tributes for dinner.

About an hour later, Meadow looks at the clock on the wall, before walking over to me. However, I know this by the sounds that her shoes make on the floor, instead of from looking at her, because I'm purposely trying to ignore her. "Did you want to go and get your friend and the other tribute?" she suggests, starting to tap her foot when I don't answer.

As soon as she turns her back, though, no doubt about to complain about me to mum, I am out of my seat and almost at the corridor that leads to the two tributes' bedrooms. She spots me when she sees the smile on mum's face and the laugh in her eyes, and begins to complain to someone, again, but I'm taking no notice of her, in case she hasn't yet realised.

First, I walk down the corridor and stop outside of the door to the male tribute's room, knocking once. "Hey," I say softly, as soon as the door has opened. "Dinner's ready."

Thresh nods without saying anything, so I leave him to shut his door and head down to the dining carriage, heading, myself, to Rue's room. However, much to my surprise, he follows me, instead of making his own way to where we will be eating. This leaves me, unfortunately or not, I am unsure, in the situation where I can talk to him about the upcoming Games.

"Thresh?" I pause my walk, so that he can walk beside me.

"Yes, Evamore," he replies.

I sigh as I resume my walk; everyone knows my "name". "Can I talk to you about the Games?" Following a nod of approval, I continue. "Can I ask you to look after Rue? I'm not saying that you have to ally with her, or even stop yourself from winning, so that she can, but I'd like to know that I'm doing everything within my power to help her. You're the only way I'll really get her help in the Arena."

I turn to face him when we reach the door of his District partner's room. "I'll try my best," he agrees, after a moment's pause.

"Thank you." I smile. "I'll try to get you all the help from outside that I can, too." Before he gets the chance to reply, however, I knock on the door to Rue's room, soon to be met by a girl who looks incredibly relieved to see a familiar face. "Ready for dinner?" I ask her, still trying to smile.

"I'm absolutely starving," she answers with a laugh, taking my offered hand as we begin to walk back down the corridor, Thresh walking silently behind.

We reach the dining room and, much to my amazement, I see that Meadow has changed into another flower-covered dress. Shaking my head as I direct Thresh and Rue to the dining table, I take my own seat next to Rue, finding out that, unfortunately, I'm sitting opposite Meadow. However, I hardly have to notice that when the two tributes begin the usual staring at the huge array of exotic food in front of them.

This lasts for the whole of dinner- and will for all of the following meals that they will have in the Capitol- and, for some reason, it highly amuses Meadow. I, on the other hand, do not see any amusement in watching two children that had hardly any food before, until the time when they will soon be sent into a death tournament. This in my mind, I try to distract Rue from this thought as she eats.

It's not long, however, until everyone is full and their plates are empty, so we head into another carriage, where we will be watching the Reaping Recap. Once seated, I see Rue looking a little lost and beckon her over to me, patting the space beside me. As soon as she is seated, I put an arm around her and whisper in her ear, "Don't worry. It's just the first time when everyone will see how brave you are."

She nods slowly, replying, "I really hope so."

"Of course it will be." I squeeze her hand reassuringly. "I promise." Although, as soon as I say it, I wonder whether or not it will join my recent list of promises I have not managed to keep.

First, once the screen has suddenly turned on, is five minutes or so of amiable chatter between the two co-hosts about the upcoming Games. After that, they begin to introduce the children that will be "proudly representing their District, to try and restore honour, and bring fame when they return as Victor". They, of course, mention that only one _lucky child_ will be doing such a thing.

District One presents what looks like the usual squabble for a volunteer, but I know it's for the cameras because they worked out a method for choosing the volunteer a while ago. So, when the crowds have dispersed and allowed the volunteers to reach the stage, they are left with a tall blonde girl and a lanky looking guy with dark hair, called Glimmer and Marvel. Normal Careers, by the looks of them.

The male tribute from District Two, similarly, appears to be a normal Career. Cato, the blonde guy with a huge, muscular build, is obviously going to be the unquestionable leader of the Careers this year, due to his power with weapons. On the other hand, his District partner, Clove, looks tiny and can't be more than fifteen. I wonder how she got to be a volunteer.

District Three provides tributes that are no different to normal: small and weak looking tributes, which look scared at the fact that they will be handling something that isn't technologically related.

I am surprised at the tributes from District Four, however. Usually, they are Careers- not always as good as the tributes from One and Two, but Careers nonetheless- and have a decent chance of winning. These, like Clove from District Two, look much younger than the normal tributes from their District, but these don't look like they could ever handle a weapon.

Normally, I watch District Five and Six, but, kind of, skim over them. However, after watching the two Districts without noting what the tributes are called, or anything- because they, by the looks of them, aren't going to be a threat- I hear Meadow say, "Look at those two. Do you see anything different about them?"

Almost to humour her, I reply, "No, Meadow, I don't see anything different about them. Please enlighten us on this exhilarating topic."

She glares in my direction- obviously one of the less naïve escorts that the Capitol has sent- and asks, "What is District Six famous for?"

"Transport?" I suggest.

She laughs. "No, no, no, I did not mean that. District Six is rumoured to have many inhabitants with a morphling addiction."

"And?" I sigh, looking at her.

"Did you not see the boy? He was obviously an addict." She pauses, smiling. "The girl, on the other hand, looked well cared for, like she never had any intention of taking the drug."

"That's really nice," I mutter. "If she looked well cared for, is she the Mayor's daughter, or something?"

Trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle her laughter again, she tells me, "She is an orphan."

"You don't know that," I snap.

"I do," she disagrees. "You did not see anyone in the crowds crying for her, and the children in District Six's orphanage are the best looked after in the whole District."

This time, _I_ have to stifle my laugh. "I think you'll find that I was lucky. Orphans in the District orphanages are the worst cared for. They have hardly any food for loads of children, and they don't care about them."

"This particular orphanage is Capitol funded," she tries to explain.

I frown. "The Capitol wouldn't want to fund something as "unimportant" as a District orphanage-"

"Evamore," mum quickly interrupts me from across the room, with her own frown on her face. I sigh, about to complain, but, then, she nods towards the screen and I don't say another thing. Meadow made me miss the Reapings for District Seven to Eleven- so I don't know anything about them- and the co-hosts are now talking about my District's Reaping.

Feeling Rue tense up, I hug her closer to me. "Sorry," I whisper. "I should have been paying attention now, but I should have volunteered for you in the first place, anyway."

She sighs, but shrugs her shoulders, instead of replying.

I turn my attention back to the screen, fully, just as "Primrose Everdeen" is reaped from the bowl of girls. I shudder when I see that she must be the same age as Rue and Aspen, and I can't imagine two twelve year olds going into the Games. However, just as I think it, I hear what I should have done and see the girl's sister volunteering to take her place.

The older girl fights forward to reach her sister, who, once she gets hold of her, doesn't want to let go. It takes a boy, who could be the older girl's brother, from the oldest section of the Reaping to pick up the girl and carry her away, for the volunteer to be able to reach the stage. She's followed up there by "Peeta Mellark", who will be her District partner.

As the screen switches off, Meadow says, "Well, well, well, two outer District volunteers. This _will_ make the Games more exciting."

But, as she says it, I can't help but feel that these two volunteers will be very different and, by the looks of it, have two very different chances of surviving.

* * *

**Author's Note: Muhahaha I'm so evil! Not only did none of you expect this, but I also made Rue go into the Arena when Eva could have. I wonder what you lot think of her chances in the Arena...**

**Just as an "in-case-you-want-to-know" kind of thing, the story's now got a new summary. I'm hoping it might generate a bit more interest in this! If not, I might change it back to the original one.**

_**Buttons301:**_** Hehe I tricked you! You'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next year's Reaping, I suppose.**

_**RadMalfoyCookie: **_**Poor Kcrayg! So tired from making sure that you reviewed first ;)**

_**Phoenix Abbot: **_**I know! Everything's going to be so sad!**

**In the next chapter, Hope and Leilani begin to give the tributes advice, whilst Eva gets to check out the competition.**

**Review please!**


	4. Chapter 3: The Tributes

**Chapter Three- The Tributes**

(Evamore)

As I pull my hair up into a messy bun, I play my lip between my teeth, my nerves that erupted after yesterday's Reaping continuing to grow as I think about the tributes that Rue is going to face. I mean, looking at some of them, I would be scared to face them, but I'm not going to have to, which is half of the reason why I feel so bad, the other half being that I really _should_ be.

Sighing, I turn away from the mirror and leave the room that I slept in last night, heading, instead, to the dining carriage. There, I spot mum at the table, talking to Rue as she picks at her breakfast, and I walk towards them both, smiling as I take an empty seat. "Sleep well?" I ask Rue, knowing perfectly well the answer that I have received every year I have asked the question.

She nods. "The beds here are so much softer than the ones at home. It was like I was sleeping on clouds, or something similar."

I laugh slightly, agreeing, "They certainly are luxury."

As she smiles again, looking back down to the food on her plate, I notice mum watching her, too.

I nudge her shoulder gently and ask, "Is it okay if I go now?"

She sighs, but nods her head, anyway. "Be careful."

"I will," I promise, standing up. "Although, in theory, they can't begin killing for another week or so."

"Eva," she complains with a frown on her face.

"I know, I know!" I say, putting my hands up in surrender. "I will not provoke them for now, neither for when the Games start. I will simply just find out some more about them, like I always do."

She rolls her eyes almost, before turning her attention back to Rue, no doubt explaining to her what I am going to do.

However, it's when I've nearly left the carriage that I realise that I have escaped talking to Meadow, until, just as I step through the doorway, I hear the click of heels and a call of, "And where do you think you're going?"

I spin around, my arms folded over my chest and an eyebrow raised, to look at the peculiarly dressed escort, who is wearing a plain green dress today, beneath a flower covered jacket. She, on the other hand, is looking at my lace cream shorts, pale green crop top and cream sandals with distaste. "What should it matter to you?" I reply.

"Tributes are meant to stay in their specified carriages only," she warns me.

"I am sure that we've already had this conversation in some form," I argue. "You know fully well that I do not come under the category of 'tribute', so I have the right to wander wherever I would like."

She sends a glare in my direction, but, knowing that she has no argument on her side to go with, she falls silent, sitting at the breakfast with Rue and mum.

Allowing a slight smirk to flit across my lips, I turn back around and resume my journey out of the District Eleven section of the train, to the part belonging to District Twelve, first. Usually, I visit District Twelve out of politeness, something that their escort seems to love, but I can tell that this year will be different; they have a fighter, a volunteer, like we do, too.

When I enter the carriage, I spot the District escort and smile, walking over to her. "Effie!" I say, kissing her cheek, before taking the seat next to her. "How did the Reaping go for you, this year?"

"It was like one that I've never been part of before!" she answers. "I always wanted to be the escort for a Career District because of the excitement that follows a volunteer, but I got one in District Twelve. I never thought that would happen!"

"And I was nearly a volunteer for District Eleven, too!" I add.

"I know, I saw," she agrees. "How did that happen?"

I shrug. "I was about to volunteer for Aspen, but Rue, who is her best friend, got there first."

"It is tragic to see twelve years olds in the Games, isn't it?" she sighs. "That's why Katniss, here, volunteered. She didn't want to see her sister in the Games."

I finally turn to see the two tributes that I know had been watching me from the moment when I entered the carriage. There is no doubting the fact that they were probably both trying to work out what I'm doing on the train as they would have seen me at the Reaping, so know that I'm neither a tribute, nor a past Victor. Therefore, when I smile at them, I introduce myself as, "Evamore Nightingale, companion of Hope Demers."

They nod in recognition of the name, but they stay silent, probably still wondering what I'm doing in the same carriage as them.

"I'm not here to boast about not being in the Games, whilst you are," I begin to explain. "For the both of you, I wish to offer my condolences for being sent into the Games, but especially for you, Katniss. I know what it feels like, having your sister's- or adopted, in my case- name called, and then feeling as if you have to take her place to protect her."

I can just tell that whatever I am going to say isn't going to work in my favour with this girl, but, luckily, her District partner says, "Katniss should be fine, anyway. You need to be strong to be a volunteer and she is that."

Katniss sighs when she hears the boy's words, but she doesn't look at him, to thank him for supporting her, even though she didn't ask for it. Instead, she turns her attention away from him and to the patterned tablecloth, making me wonder what on earth happened between them before to make them like this now. Sometimes, District partners want to ally, but I don't think this will be her case.

"Well, I'm just glad that you've at least got some amount of confidence in your volunteer," I admit, standing up. "Right now, that's probably the furthest away from anything that our volunteer is feeling."

However, as I say it, I can see the words registering in Katniss' mind as a flicker of recognition joins her memories of last night's Reaping. Maybe, if Rue is lucky, she might have at least one strong ally, just because her age and vulnerability reminds the other volunteer of her own sister.

"Good luck," I wish the two tributes as I wave towards Effie, before leaving the carriage behind me, ready to move on to one of the Districts that I will only have to walk through, just because their tributes are no different to normal.

In District Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven and Five, I see the Districts' usual tributes, with looks of more than just fear etched across their faces, which just prove that the tributes are already lost to the Games. No matter how much help the mentors will try to give their tributes, no matter how much advice and temptations they are given, nothing will drag them out of their fantasies of their imminent death.

In reality, I know that it's sad, but, this year, I can't really pity them if I want Rue to go home. At least she's trying to look and act strong, even if she doesn't really feel it. I know that she's obviously as desperate as I am to see her back at home, in safety, even though she tried to persuade me that her being in the Games, instead of me, is better. I just wish that I could make her return happen sooner.

I pause for a little longer than usual when I reach District Six, just to humour Meadow, more than any fear of them being able to beat Rue. However, when I reach there, I see them no different to normal; unfortunately for them, no "advantage" that they had, before, due to being from the orphanage is going to help them now, unless they might get help from the Capitol people that sponsored the orphanage, but I highly doubt it.

After talking to their mentor and escort for a while, I glance towards the tributes. The boy is even more at a loss than the others, after having lost his drug, but the girl doesn't seem to care because, reasonably so, she's already lost her family. When she recognises me and begins to start a conversation on the depressing subject, I excuse myself, beginning to wonder why they funded _that_ District.

Finally, I allow a smile to grace my features when I enter the next District: my "home" District. Once inside, I look for one of the latest Victors, who now _must_ mentor, and can't help the smile on my face from growing even larger when I see Finnick, who, after spotting me, pats the seat behind him. Gratefully, I take it and cross my legs onto the seat in front of me, turning to face him, after doing so.

"You haven't got any Careers this year, have you?" I ask straight away, glancing up at the clock on the wall behind him.

"Hey!" he complains, a frown on his face, despite the smile that's still present. "Don't you want an update on home?"

I'm still smiling when I look back at him, but this one's softer, unlike my original one, which was just there because he's the "famous and incredibly good looking Finnick Odair". "Well, you can tell me later, if it's really that exciting that it might persuade me to come back," I reply. "But your first answer should be a 'no', isn't it?"

He sighs, looking quickly at the latest tributes for his District, before glancing at the clock, too. "No, they're not Careers, but I wonder how you knew." Winking back at him, I go to stand up, but he grabs my wrist at the same time as he suggests, "I can come with you, Eva."

"Finn," I moan, sitting back down with a huff. "I've done it before, loads of times."

"You've had me with you, usually," he reasons.

"I must keep up appearances," I explain. "Anyway, I'm old enough now. Seventeen, remember? You were fourteen when you won your Games."

"Yes, but I was- and still am- an attractive guy, who can easily wield a trident," he brags.

"I'll make sure to keep that in my mind, if they try to threaten me," I agree.

Knowing that he's been beaten, he pulls me in for a hug, telling me, "We're going to have to talk later, whether or not you're trying to avoid me. I want to talk about that volunteer of yours."

I sigh. "I suppose I do, too." Quickly, then, before he can distract me another time, I get back onto my feet and smile down at him, before heading away, calling over my shoulder, "I'll come and talk to you when they're finished."

After leaving District Four, I pass through District Three is quickly as I can, unaided by the fact that my entire time with the mentors and escorts from Three is spent looking at a clock. Any suspicions about the final District- before the Careers- that I had last night were proved right, though: they are going to be hiding in these Games, if anything, unless the Arena is technology based.

When I reach the bar carriage, I release a sigh of relief, seeing that, luckily, I still have a few minutes or so to prepare myself, before the Careers arrive. Silently, I walk over to the bar's counter and slip behind it, glancing at the clock to reassure myself that they're not running late and I haven't missed them; simply, I am just here a little before they are.

Every year, all of the tributes that will be suitable Careers meet in the bar carriage on the day after the Reaping, just before midday. Actually, when I mean 'suitable Careers', I really mean District One and Two's tributes, and they discuss whether or not there will be any other tributes worth recruiting for their alliance. Usually, they take District Four, but they almost never take anyone else.

As I begin to wonder whether anyone else will have taken their fancy this year, I turn away when I hear the door being opened, only the reflection in the mirror behind the bar informing me that District One has entered first. However, it is only a few seconds later when the two tributes from District Two enter into the carriage, too, but it is when I begin to pour myself a drink.

During the time when I replace the bottle back onto the shelf, though, they have introduced themselves to each other, agreed that there is no one else that they want in their alliance- they did pause on Thresh for a moment- and then sat down in the seats nearest to the window. Now is when they will begin their strategies, and later is when they will begin to bicker.

I silently place my glass on the counter and fold my arms onto the wood, not speaking a word as I watch the four Careers talk. They all sit around a tiny wooden table with only enough chairs to suit them around it. The one with their back to me is Glimmer, the female tribute from One, her District partner to her left. Clove, District Two's female, sits on Glimmer's right, with the remaining Career sitting in the final chair, the one opposite me.

Strangely, however, they all seem too absorbed in their conversation that they have not noticed me, yet. That is until I hear mentions of the outer District volunteers that they will have to get rid of, to save them their own sponsors, and Cato says, "Especially that kid from Eleven. She must think she's all heroic for saving that other girl, and just like us for being able to volunteer, but, really, she's just thrown herself into the deep end."

"In reality, though, she must be pretty brave. I mean, it's only the psychotic killers, like you, that don't mind being in the Arena when they're twelve years old. She volunteered to save her best friend, risking herself in the process," I interrupt the flow of their conversation, causing all four sets of eyes to turn to me as I make my way to the other set of chairs, for when there are more than four Careers.

As I settle into one of the single seats, I see the Careers stand up at the same time, before making their way over to me, just as Glimmer argues, "You have as little right to an opinion in this conversation, as you do to be in here."

I raise my eyebrow, waiting until Glimmer, Clove and Marvel have sat down, Cato trailing behind, for me to speak again. "There is no sign on the door, which declares this as 'Careers only'. Therefore, you have no right to say if this only for you, or not. As well, I was here first."

"Whether or not you were here first does not play a part in this," complains Glimmer, despite a laugh from Cato. "You do not have the right to be in here, as I have already said."

"And what decides my right to be in here?" I question, desperately fighting to keep the frown off of my face as District Two's male tribute takes a seat on the arm of my chair, snatching my drink off of the table.

"You must be a tribute, mentor or an escort to be on this train," points out Glimmer, unsuccessfully hiding her disgust at one of her allies' behaviour.

"How do you know that I'm not?" I challenge.

"You weren't reaped at the Reaping, you haven't become a Victor, and you're not from the Capitol," she reasons.

"I could have volunteered after the Reaping. Not only would it hide my reason why, but it would give the Capitol a little surprise," I decide.

I can see her anger growing quickly, much to my delight, but Cato speaks, before she can again. "You're Career material," he informs me. "You've got more fight than you deserve, even now. I'd like to see what you'd be like in training. You've obviously trained, despite how little you're revealing. You're District Four, are you not?"

Snatching the drink back out of his hands, I stand up and return to the counter, where I left my tablet full of notes on the tributes. "Certainly. I am District Four, kind of." I glance up, looking at the Careers.

"'District Four, kind of'?" he repeats.

"I wouldn't want to give everything away," I answer, a slight smirk having found its place on my lips.

"Which is why we're leaving now," agrees Marvel, standing up and beckoning his fellow Careers to do the same. "We wouldn't want to give away any of our strategies, now, would we, Cato?" He directs the last bit at the Career who seems to be paying no attention to him, his eyes focussed, instead, on where I sit, on top of the bar's counter, my feet on a stool.

"Cato," repeats Clove, grabbing the top of his arm and trying to pull him to his feet. "Seriously. We thought you were focussed on the Games. Why else would the Training Centre have put you through as the volunteer?"

"Uh huh," he mutters, getting slowly to his feet, but not with the help of his District partner. "I just need to sort out this little problem first."

All of his allies huff, but they leave the carriage without another word, leaving an awkward silence hovering in the air as I turn my attention away from the door and back to my tablet, whilst I hear the remaining Career walking over and taking a seat on the stool next to me. However, I do not say a word, until I hear him pick up my glass and I say, "That's my drink."

"I got it from you, though," he reasons, leaning onto the counter to try and look at what I'm writing down.

"And I got it back from you," I remind him, locking my tablet and putting it on the side furthest away from him.

"But I've got it, again, now," he points out.

I turn to meet his gaze. "We are in the bar carriage. You could get your own-"

"Why don't you get me one?" he interrupts

"Because I'm not in here to be your waitress," I answer.

"Why are you in here, then?" he challenges with a smirk on his lips. "If you're not here to serve the people that come in, what reason do you have to be here?"

I frown a little, pausing before I say, "I thought I'd already discussed this with your _friends_."

"Yes, but that was obviously a lie, just to annoy Glimmer." He laughs. "You're no tribute, but you have the potential to be one."

"You must have seen me around before," I argue.

"You make it sound as if you do work, similar to Finnick Odair's," he decides, looking me up and down.

"I certainly am a friend of Finnick's," I agree, silently challenging what he's beginning to think.

True to what I'm thinking, he raises an eyebrow at me when he lifts his eyes back to mine. "And is that why you are kind of from District Four?"

"Kind of really not," I reply.

"Why don't you give me a straight answer?" he complains, pushing my feet off of the stool, so that he can sit on the one directly in front of me.

"I find that revealing too many secrets can completely ruin a person, something that I don't fancy happening to me," I admit.

He rolls his eyes, swirling the drink in the glass around in his hands. "Can you at least tell me whether or not you are the female tribute from District Four, so I know if I should bother trying to persuade my allies to let you into our alliance?"

"No, I can't tell you that," I say, picking my tablet back up, before I jump off of the counter and land on the floor beside the Career. "But I do need to go and see Finnick, now."

I head towards the door that I entered the bar carriage in, not looking behind me, until I'm by the door and the boy that I did not hear moving appears behind me, his hand placed on my shoulder throwing me off course as he pushes me to the wall. "What I mean, too, is that, if you're not in the Games, you'll still be here when I win."

No matter how much I want to object, to say that Rue will be the one coming home, not him, I just keep my face neutral and push his hand down. "I see what you're saying, but I don't think I quite understand what you're suggesting with it, Cato."

"What I'm trying to say is that I like your attitude." He looks me up and down again, and, now that I'm standing up, so that he can properly see all of me, I suddenly feel exposed in the outfit that I was so comfortable in earlier. "I haven't seen many people like you, so you're nice, for a change."

I mumble my thanks, not really meaning them, as I try to avoid looking to see how good he looks.

"But, before I continue," he whispers, stroking a piece of hair that must have escaped my bun to behind my ear, "I need to know your name."

"I really don't think that it is something necessary for your survival," I decide. "In fact, I'm surprised that you know your allies' names because I thought you would have just referred to them by their District number."

"I think it is something that I need to know," he disagrees, putting his hand next to my head on the wall, so that I can feel his breath against my lips. "When I'm coming home, I'll need some motivation of what I'll be coming back to, and how will I be able to find you if I don't know who you are?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to find a way," I argue. "I mean, I've already said that I haven't been able to avoid the Capitol's spotlight-"

"Oh, so you're already Capitol famous?" he decides, a smirk on his lips, due to the fact that he knows that it's his hand on my hip, his thumb resting on my bare skin, and not his words, that stopped me from speaking.

"Not exactly," I mutter, beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable with this Career, something I did not feel when he was scrutinising me earlier; I came to find out what the tributes were like, not to let them get this close. "I should probably let you get back to your allies now, though. You'll be able to perfect your plan to get out alive, then."

"Yeah, it could be a good idea," he agrees, placing a finger under my chin to lift it up, so that my eyes are focussed on his face, instead of on his hand on my hip. "Or maybe I could just stay here with you, instead."

I shake my head. "I really don't think that would be a good i-" My words are cut off, even before I have considered finishing them, when the Career has ducked his head down, closer to mine, only to be thrown backwards. At that exact moment, I meet Finnick's worried gaze and sigh in relief, admitting in a joking manner, "I wondered if you'd forgotten that we were due to talk."

He sighs, too, before pulling me into a gentle hug and asking, "Are you okay, Eva?"

"Yep," I mutter, shutting my eyes when I rest my head on his shoulder. "I told you that I could defend myself."

He doesn't laugh as I feel him turn around to face where the Career boy sits, warning, "Touch her again, blondie, and I'll kill you."

Cato laughs, until he sees Finnick loosening his hold on me and stepping towards him, causing him to get to his own feet. "I'm sure I could take you down, no problem, Finnick Odair, but there will be no need because, as long as you keep your tribute out of my way, she won't be able to come near me."

I wait until I hear him leave the room, before I open my eyes and sink into a seat, Finnick following me down. "Thanks, Finn," I whisper, moving closer to his side as he wraps an arm around my waist. "I just hope you'll be able to kill him, too, if he even considers going near Rue, which I think all of the Careers would quite like to do."

He sighs. "Your volunteer is the bravest thing I've seen in a while, but I know that you hate it. I'm here to talk and you know it. Talk about anything that you want."

* * *

**Author's Note: Did you like this chapter, I wonder? Not much happened in it, but that will probably be the same for the next chapter. However, I thought it could be interesting if Eva got to go and see all of the other tributes, especially if some are unsure why she is actually there.**

_**Buttons301:**_** But maybe that'll be the Games that I change. Or maybe not...**

**_RadMalfoyCookie: _And I suppose you didn't get another person's perspective on the other tributes, either. Oh, I'm treating you, aren't I?**

**_vampirevampirevampire (chapter one): _I'm glad you liked it! I wanted to give a bit more background before the main bulk of the story started!  
**

_**vampirevampirevampire (chapter two): **_**I will be trying to stick to the once a fortnight thing of updating this for now, but I go back to school next week- BOHOO :'(- so the updates _may _be less frequent, but I'll also be focussing on _Safe With Mellark _soon, anyway.**

_**Phoenix Abbot: **_**Well, I wouldn't want to make myself too predictable, now! I'm glad you also liked the Reaping Recap- because I thought that that was too rushed- so I'm also hoping that you liked this, too!**

**The next chapter will be the last day on the train, when Eva will spend a little more time with Rue and Finnick, and you'll get a bit more information on the kind of relationship that they have.**

**It would be lovely if you reviewed!**


	5. Chapter 4: Advice

**Chapter Four- Advice**

(Evamore)

"What am I meant to do about her, Finnick?" I ask quietly, looking down at my hands as I fold them in my lap. "I should be the one in the Arena this year, but I'm sitting back and watching, as if Rue is someone that I've never met before."

He sighs, before hugging me closer and allowing my head to fall onto his shoulder. "In all honesty, Eva, there's very little that you can do now that you _want_ to do," he admits. "You've said that you want to be in the Arena, instead of her, but you can't take her place after the Reaping. You're just going to have to act like her third mentor and help her as much as you can before she goes into the Games, and then pray that she comes out, whilst she's in the Arena."

"I promised Aspen that I wouldn't let either of them go into the Arena, but I also promised her that I wouldn't either," I admit.

"We can't keep all of our promises," he reminds me. "One way or another, you would have had to break your promise to her, unless some miracle occurred and allowed you all to be free for the rest of your life. You never know if a miracle's going to happen in these Games, though, and keep Rue alive, like they saved Annie, especially when she was in that state."

I allow a small smile to flit across my lips as I reach over for one of hands, squeezing it softly. "How is Annie?" I whisper, somewhat glad to have an, admittedly awful, excuse to change the conversation.

"She's a little shaken up, but she always is at this time of the year," he answers. "I think it would be great if you went home to stay with her for the Games, one year. It would really do her good, and I think it could benefit you, too."

"The year after my final Reaping, I promise that I will go to watch the Games with her at home, as soon as I know for certain that Aspen is safe for another year," I agree, looking up to my best friend to see him smiling, too.

"I think mum would love to see you as well," he decides with a wink. "I think she misses you sometimes."

My smile grows a little more at this comment, although I try to hide it, just in case someone from the Capitol sees me and thinks it strange that I'm smiling when I should be sad. Finnick's been my best friend since he won the Games nine years ago and, since then, I've spent a week after the end of every Games with him, not to mention the other visits I make "home" during the year.

He and I have strangely similar personalities and we are surprisingly alike in some aspects of our appearance, too, to the point that we can actually convince people that he's part of my actual family. In addition to that coincidence, since I've been going to Four on my own occasionally, Finnick's mum has actually begun to take on the position of my District Four mum.

However, I cannot complain because, not only does it further strengthen the story that my _real_ mum and I have created, I really do love Finnick like family and I would trust him with anything. In fact, Finnick is the only person- other than Leilani- who mum has let know all about the secret that we keep; mum hasn't even trusted Oakley enough to tell him.

"I'm glad that she doesn't think that I'm a pain or a burden, whenever I come," I admit.

"Nope, that's just me," he replies, grinning.

"Hey!" I moan, pretending to pout a little as I stand up. "I don't have to stay with you now, let alone after the Games, if you're going to be like this."

He grabs my waist and pulls me back down, muttering into my ear, "You've got no chance of surviving these Games if you're going to be like this towards me. I'm your best chance of surviving."

I frown, curling back up next to his chest. "Finn," I whisper, "you really need to stop joking about that. You should know that I said that as a way to try and fend the Careers off, but I didn't really give anything away. Every day that takes Rue closer to the Games is honestly slowly killing me."

He sighs and wraps his arms tighter around me, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head. "I know that it's hurting you to see Aspen's best friend go into the Arena instead of you, but it's because you're really sending a piece of yourself in there with her. I've been your best friend for years now and I know how much you'd give up for Aspen, so I'm going to help you get Rue out alive as much as I possibly can, I promise."

Sighing, I begin to play with the bottom of his shirt as I thank him quietly, before asking, "What's the weather like at home?"

I don't blame Finnick when he can't hold his laughter in because it is a pretty stupid thing to see when we're still _really_ in such a serious conversation. However, he answers, "We're in the stormy season at the moment, as you should know, but that always makes it more fun to go out to the beach. It looks really good, though, so you've got somewhere nice to go to after the Games."

I smile slightly, my words hardly there as I admit, "I do hope I won't be disturbing anything between you and a certain young lady when I'm there, though."

He's pinned me down in just a few seconds, my face pressed against a cushion and his back keeping me there, to keep our conversation quiet. "You know that no one could ever capture Finnick Odair's heart," he hisses in my ear, his seductive tone, which always appears especially for the Capitol, suddenly appearing. "You can't have nearly enough fun when you're tied down to just one person."

"You're such a bad liar," I argue with a grin on my face, although he probably can't hear my reply and he certainly can't see my face. "I don't know how you can convince them all."

"I'm charming, dear Evamore," he reminds me. "And, anyway, I have nothing to convince them of- I love the Capitol and everyone in it. They've already been won over; it's you who has not, yet."

"I do not need to be, nor should I be won over. We would not want any inappropriate relationship between a mentor and a tribute now, would we?" I mutter and I instantly feel him loosen his hold on me, so that I can crawl back to his side.

"You're not going to win that argument again," he decides.

"I know all of your weaknesses," I disagree.

"And I know yours," he replies. "Your weaknesses are your secrets. Even if you're not a Victor, your secrets being revealed would be worse than if mine were revealed."

"Fine." I sigh. "But, speaking of keeping secrets, I need to go and annoy- I mean talk to our new escort, whilst she helps Hope and Leilani mentor."

Finnick stands up with me and glances at the clock on the wall. "My tributes have got half an hour of lunch left, before I have to be back. I can walk you back if you want?"

"Why not?" I agree, smiling when he slips his hand around mine to lead me out of the carriage.

"What do you plan to do whilst you're in the Capitol?" he eventually asks after a couple of moments of silence. "Are you going out with any of your Capitol _friends_?"

"You make it sound as if they're awful! They're not that bad!" I complain.

"They have all begged me to come back to bed with them, whenever you've introduced us," he reasons.

I laugh slightly. "It is because you're the famous Finnick Odair, though. If you were anyone else, they wouldn't bat an eyelid in your direction."

"That makes me feel so much better," he lies, but with a smile on his face, too. "But, will you be seeing them?"

Sighing, I shake my head. "I've already told them that I can't leave Rue. They tried to persuade to come whilst she's in the Arena, but they didn't believe me when I said that that would be worse. I'll probably do something stupid and forget all about the Games, just when something important happens."

"No matter how annoying they are, I'm sure that I could arrange something, so that I can be in the same area as you, if you decide to go out," he promises.

"Thanks for the offer, Finn, but this will be a year when I'm confined to my room to watch the entirety of the Games, I think," I admit. He sighs, but stays silent, so I quickly think of the next thing to say. "I know what favour you could actually do for me."

"Yeah?" he replies.

"I'm sure our escort has already fallen for you, so would you just tell her that she was wrong about District Six- don't tell her that I've told you to say this- just to annoy her. She was convinced about them, so I just wanted to let her know that she shouldn't bother wasting her money on them," I explain, although I'm sure that he can see straight through my lie, especially as he laughs immediately after.

"You really are cruel, Eva," he mutters. "But, of course I will."

I grin, hugging him and planting a kiss on his cheek, just as we enter the room. "See you later, Finn."

However, as I pull away, he's grabbed my hand, to kiss the back of it, and bowed deeply, winking at me when he stands back up. "And I hope we have such an enjoyable time again, soon, Evamore," he adds, his seductive tone coming into play for real this time. Luckily, he walks away and to the on looking escort, before I have the chance to break into a fit of giggles, whilst we're both trying to be serious.

As he begins the deep conversation with Meadow, I walk over to the table where the two mentors and the two tributes sit, taking a seat between mum and Rue. "What have you done this morning, then?" I ask, putting my tablet down on the table in front of me.

Like normal, Thresh stays quiet, so Rue answers, "We were working out what our strengths and weaknesses are. Apparently, we couldn't do much before you returned."

"In that case, you'll be pleased to know that I also spent this morning working out tributes' strengths and weaknesses, but they weren't yours." The two tributes look a little confused, so I smile. "I went to see all of the other tributes this morning, so I know what you can or can't use against them. They don't even have to say it sometimes- you can just tell."

"And what did you find out, then?" mum questions, glancing at her tributes, before at Finnick.

I push my tablet out, so that the two tributes can see the picture of Glimmer. They both glance down and I tell them all that I know about her. After her, I move on to talk about Marvel and the information that I gathered about him. He's followed by the annual things that I say about District One because there always certain traits that appear only with certain Districts.

Clove is the third tribute and Career that I tell the two District Eleven tributes about. I reason with them that she is only fifteen, which will work against her in terms of her strength, but it won't in anything else, as there was obviously a reason why she was chosen as a volunteer at such a young age.

To be safe, though, I exclude the meeting that I had with the Careers and their plans for the other volunteers, as that's something I'll have to talk to mum and Leilani about first.

However, just as I finish talking about Clove, Finnick finishes speaking with Meadow and stands up, walking back over to the table where we all sit. Other than sending a smirk in my direction, he ignores me as he heads straight towards mum, bending down to whisper something in her ear as he appears behind her, which gains a raised eyebrow from her, sent in my direction.

Then, as soon as he stands up straight again, he blows me a kiss and wishes me a good evening, before leaving the carriage without a second glance.

Slightly annoyed, I follow after him, before I get to answer the question from mum that is definitely coming, hissing into his ear, "I thought you were my brother," once we're out of earshot of everyone else.

He laughs, turning around to face me. "Exactly. You should have seen the looks on your and Meadow's faces."

"Fine, Mr Odair," I mutter, still trying to frown, despite the smile that's tugging on the corners of my lips. "You can fuel the rumours, but you will also be the one to answer them."

"There will be no rumours, Eva," he disagrees. "The Capitol have always known we've been close. Stop worrying over everything. Just go and help out your tributes, instead, otherwise I won't be able to help you later."

I punch his arm, smile, and then turn away. "You'd better help your tributes, too, Finn. Only Rue's coming out this year."

"I know," is the final call from him that I hear.

I return back into the carriage with a slight smirk on my lips, only to be met by an accusing glare from mum. "What did I do?" I complain.

"So, Cato from District Two. Is he someone to watch out for, then?" she asks.

"Hey!" I moan, putting my hands up in surrender. "I have no idea of what Finnick accused me of, but I'm completely innocent of anything that he's suggesting."

"He didn't say anything, Eva. You are making assumptions," she argues.

I frown, dropping my hands to my side as I sit down heavily, back into my seat. However, I quickly turn my attention away from my own annoyance, so that I can continue to talk about the tributes as I did before, only treading carefully when I speak of the final Career, and trying particularly hard to point out the mistakes made about the personality of the two tributes from District Six, again.

It's only when I reach the end of my analysis of all the other tributes that I ask, "Will either of you be making allies?"

The two tributes glance at each other, before Thresh immediately answers, "No."

Seeing the slight panic cross Rue's face, I sigh and say, "Rue, if tributes want allies and they don't go for their District partner, they often go to someone in a similar situation to them."

"I don't think anyone would want to ally with me, Eva," she decides.

I shake my head. "In all honesty, I think my visit to District Twelve made their female tribute, Katniss, think. She volunteered, too, for someone like Aspen, although they are sisters, where you two are best friends."

"I don't think she'd want to ally with me," she repeats.

"I promise you that I saw her thinking about you as a potential ally when I reminded her of what you were like and how similar the two of you are," I disagree. "If you want to get a good chance of surviving in the Games, when I can't look after you myself, she looks like your best chance. I'd imagine that she would look after you as if she were your sister."

I see her faltering, her eyes falling onto Katniss' picture from the Reaping on my tablet, but she does not answer, still.

"Maybe shadow her in training," I suggest. "See what she's like there and talk to her, if you want to or get the chance to. Make your decision on what you make of her in training."

She nods, but doesn't say anything else on the subject as mum and Leilani soon have to return to the schedule that Meadow has made. However, throughout the whole day, I often see her drifting out of the conversation and I can easily guess that she is considering, again, what I suggested to her, after I told her all about the other tributes.

Luckily, though, she can easily tune back into the conversation when it is necessary for her to make a contribution, like what her strengths and weaknesses are, and how they can be used against the other tributes. This time, only the mentors are the ones making notes and they tell Rue and Thresh it's so that they can work out how to use them to their advantage later on; they will discuss it after they've gone to bed.

It's then, when the lights on the train are dimming as the stars outside of the window begin to appear, that mum appears beside me, already having discussed tactics with Leilani. However, I'm watching the Reaping Recap for District Eleven again, so hardly paying any attention to the world, but it's the feeling of the seat beside me sinking that finally tells me of her appearance.

I glance up at her and smile, pausing the video, but not saying anything.

"You can't still blame yourself for the turn out of the Reaping," she whispers, wrapping her arms around me to pull me onto her lap.

"I know," I reply, leaning my head against her chest. "But it will haunt me for years to come, unless I'm in the Games next year-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Ria," she interrupts so quietly that I would not have heard if my ear wasn't so close to her mouth. "You're never going into the Arena, but you'd come out alive if you did. You've only got one year left."

"What about Aspen?" I ask, folding my hands in my lap and looking down at them.

"Once you're out, I'll be fine," she admits.

I sigh. "You shouldn't things like that, mum."

I feel her shrug as she reasons, "And you shouldn't worry about something that won't happen. They want you in there, not her, and you'll be fine after next year. But, anyway, you shouldn't be worrying about that now."

"Rue's my priority now," I agree.

"Precisely." She sighs, too. "She shouldn't be making you worry either, though. She'll be coming out alive- don't worry."

Shutting my eyes, I exhale deeply. "I can't wait for this all to be over with."

"I know you can't. I want you to be free from this, too." However, before she has the chance to add to that reply, we both hear the tap of heels on wood and I slide off of her lap, onto the seat again. "And, thank you for getting the details about the other tributes today, Eva," she says when Meadow enters the room, trying to smile at me.

I try to smile back as I reply, "It was nothing," before glaring at the escort that entered the room and interrupted our conversation.

"Hope, Mr Odair was on the way to speak to you, so he sent me to find you first," Meadow tells mum, ignoring my annoyed look. "He would like to talk to you as soon as possible and asked me to take you to him."

"Thank you, Meadow." Mum glances from the escort in the doorway, and back to me. "Eva, I'll see you in the morning."

Sighing, I look away from the escort, too, and back to mum, trying to put another smile on my face. "Tell Finnick I said hi."

"Of course I will." She gets to her feet and watches me as I lie down on the seat, where I will sleep, before she crouches down, so that her face is level with mine. "Finnick's worried about you, too. You're too scared about something that we're all trying to help you with."

I sigh. "Was that what he said to you earlier?"

She nods. "That, and the fact that the District Two boy was flirting with you." I blush. "I've learnt from experience not to fall for them."

"Thanks for the advice, then, mum." The last word slips out, without me thinking, so I clap my hand over my mouth, whilst mum doesn't actually react.

"Sleep well," she whispers, kissing my forehead, before standing up and leaving the room, behind the escort.

I sigh again, before rolling onto my back to stare at the ceiling. It's getting closer and closer to the Games with each minute that passes, but only mum realises how scared I can be. I've already experienced too many loses because of the Games, so I don't want to experience anymore, especially when they're ones that really mean something to me. I would do anything to get some people back, but I only hope that I won't be thinking the same thing about one more person at the end of this year.

* * *

**Author's Note: I decided to continue this straight after the last chapter, so that you could see what Finnick and Eva's relationship as "brother and sister" is like. However, apart from that, nothing much happened, so I apologise for that.**

_**RadMalfoyCookie: **_**I'm glad you liked the Career interaction, so I hope you liked this, too. And, you never know, maybe the Careers will make another appearance before the Games!**

_**vampirevampirevampire: **_**That's good you liked it!**

_**Phoenix Abbot: **_**If you liked reading about familiar characters there, I hope that you enjoyed reading more about them at a later point in the story, too.**

**In the next chapter, I will begin referring to the actual books more- I'm not telling you to what extent I'm following them- as the tributes arrive in the Capitol and take part in the Tributes' Parade.**

**Please, please, _pleeeeease _review!**


	6. Chapter 5: The Capitol

**Chapter Five- The Capitol**

(Evamore)

I begin to stir when the sun rises and realise with a groan what day today is: today is the day when the tributes will arrive in the Capitol and take part in the Tributes' Parade. Stretching, I sit up and force my eyes open, so that I can look around the carriage in the bright sunlight, getting used to the light before I get up.

"For how long were you talking to your mentor last night, then?" I hear a voice from across the room ask. "I thought tributes all had separate rooms, so you must have been extremely tired to fall asleep out here."

Desperate to not let a blush creep into my cheeks, I pull the blanket up around me and turn to meet the gaze of an already dressed Cato. "Are you questioning the fact that I prefer to sleep in here, rather than in my room?"

"Kind of. I'm wondering what you were discussing with the mentor from District Four that made you sleep in here, rather than in your room," he explains.

"It's not something that you need to worry about," I decide. "However, _I_ would like to know what _you_ are doing in here."

"I fancied a change of scenery," he replies, getting up to sit on the edge of the sofa that I was laying on before. "I saw you here and realised that now would be the best time to get you to talk."

"You heard what Finnick said yesterday," I begin.

"I know, but we don't want Finnick to be fighting all of your battles for you if you're about to go into the Hunger Games, do we?" he reasons in a mocking tone, pulling a face at the end of his words.

I glare back at him. "I never said he would."

"I got that impression from what you said," he disagrees, his voice back to normal, accompanied by a smirk.

Frowning, I cross my arms over my chest as I get to my feet. "Well, in that case, I should probably go to see him to get some advice for fighting my own battles."

He follows me to my feet and steps towards me. "It could be a good idea."

As I nod, I raise my eyebrows, before turning away and walking towards the door out of the carriage.

"Aren't you going the wrong way?" he calls. "District Four's the other way."

This time, as I turn on my heel, _I_ smirk. "Oh, don't worry. I know that. Believe me, I won't be getting lost this year, as I never have before."

I notice him beginning to frown, too, which just allows my smirk to grow. "You speak as you've come here before."

"I know." I nod. "You don't need to worry about me. You should be worrying about yourself more. Prettying yourself up for the cameras, perhaps. Hanging around with kids like me won't do you any favours, I'm telling you now."

"You're speaking from experience, aren't you?" he mutters.

"Well, that I can't tell you," I say. "But I might see you later. Good luck until then!"

I turn back around again and leave the carriage without a second glance, heading straight into mum's room. She's already left, so I grab a dress and take it into the bathroom to shower, and then change into. The dress, I notice when I slip it on, is white and covered in a pink flowers with green leaves, the back cut out, with a little bow at the bottom. As soon as I have put a few curls in my hair, I leave the room to where everyone else will be having breakfast.

There, as I sit down, I have to control myself from getting straight back up again and changing. Before, I hadn't needed to worry about to worry about what I wore, but, when I see the new escort, I immediately remember that her name is ironic to what she wears. Groaning slightly, I rest my forehead against the palm of my hand, catching the amused look that mum sends in my direction.

However, instead of saying anything to either her or Meadow, I turn to Rue and Thresh to ask, "Are you looking forward to seeing what the Capitol is like in real life?"

Neither answer, but I don't blame them- it was a stupid question from me to ask. Every year, the same dread fills me as I get closer to the Capitol. Every step closer is a step closer to where they celebrate my father's death; a step closer to where they celebrate my mother's Victory; a step closer to where they, technically, celebrate how I survived, too.

However, this year, every step closer is a step closer to where I will be praying for Rue's survival, and hoping against all hope that I won't be losing another one that I love. I know how terrible the Capitol is for me, so why would I ask them a question like that?

Of course, though, Meadow answers for them. "Oh, it is wonderful, you two. The food and clothes here are nothing, compared to what you will be offered there. And the room that you will be staying in? Well, if you thought here was roomy, it will be like you have no boundaries there." She claps her hands together and smiles as she rests her chin on her hands, waiting for an answer.

I am unsurprised when neither tribute replies. Rue only sighs and looks to me, when I squeeze her hand under the table, whilst Thresh does nothing to show that he's registered the escort's words.

Despite this, she continues. "I mean, I have never been to District Eleven, but I guessed it would be like any District I have visited before. Of course, it cannot exactly be like District Four as none is, so I assumed it would be like most others in size. However, saying that, I know that agriculture is its speciality, so I thought flowers would play a part of it, hence my outfit."

This time, I am the one who covers my face with my hands, embarrassed by the naivety of the escort. Surely, she can't really be this stupid when she is not being an escort for District Eleven? I sincerely hope that this is just an act she's putting on for us, otherwise I would be more than a little worried about her, that being if I cared for her in any way.

I can tell that she is about to continue, but I look up and wave her quiet when I feel the train beginning to slow down barely, something I've only began to notice after years of travelling on it. "We're nearly there, Rue," I whisper, reaching out to take her hand back again.

"We certainly are," Meadow agrees. "Both of you could go to the window and begin to get your Sponsors now."

Rue glances up at me and I nod, despite wanting not to agree with the escort. "She's right. The sooner you begin playing your part, the sooner they begin to fall for you." I look at Thresh, who no one has recently spoken to. "And you could, too."

I don't exactly how they decide silently what they're going to do, but they do, so they both get up and walk over to the window. However, there, they decide to take different approaches to gain the Sponsors. Whilst Thresh stands tall and strong, only looking at the Sponsors and not registering them in any other way, Rue smiles and waves, a look of awe covering her face as we near the Capitol.

Sighing, I stand up with mum, Leilani and Meadow, waiting for the train to stop, before I go and stand behind Rue. She notices me and steps back to be next to me, taking my hand back. "I'm terrified," she whispers.

I squeeze her hand. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that you're fine."

She looks down and follows me as I lead her to where Thresh moves to: the doors that are about to move. As they do just that, she steps slightly closer to my side and breathes in deeply, preparing herself. It takes just a few seconds for the doors to open completely and, when they have, the cameras immediately begin flashing and the people there start to shout things at the tributes.

We only pause for a couple of minutes, so that Rue and Thresh can answer a few of the reporters' questions, before they're led away, into the Remake Centre. First, Meadow has to explain to them what is expected will happen in the next few hours, before we lead them to where their stylists are and where they will be kept for the next few hours.

As soon as I have collected myself, my thoughts back in order after seeing Rue make the first towards being sent into the Arena, mum excuses me to go out. For the main part of the time whilst the tributes are being prepared for the Tributes' Parade, mum and Leilani will continue with their tactical planning, before they are also dressed up. I will go into the Capitol for that time, before being dressed, too.

My trip into the main Capitol town is so that I can see my friends from the Capitol, who are called Androclus, Pyrrha and Ariadne. They're as crazy- if not more so, sometimes- as the rest of the people from the Capitol, and they are as ignorant as them, too, but they were the nicest people that I could find here. As well, when I make fun of them, it is usually unnecessary because they are actually good.

However, of course, if I ever come to the Capitol without Finnick, not only is he the main topic of their conversations, but they are also desperate for me to bring him with me the next time I come. Really, I don't blame him for disliking them. Another problem, though, is the fact that they really don't understand what the Games mean to me, meaning that they won't understand why I won't meet them during these Games.

In fact, immediately after we have met up in one of the cafés and greeted each other, the topic turns to when we will be meeting during the Games. Therefore, I sigh, before placing my drink back on the table and resting my chin on my hands. "I can't this year, I'm afraid," I admit quietly.

"Oh, come _on_, Eva," moans Androclus. "These Games will be no different to any other year's."

"But they will!" I disagree. "District Eleven's female tribute is Aspen's best friend!"

"And I bet she will not mind if you miss a day or two," he continues. I frown. "It is not as if you can actually do anything to help her when she is in the Arena. She would not know if you were not watching every moment."

"I'd know, though!" I complain. "What would I do if I missed two seconds of the Games and she was killed in those two seconds?"

"Something like that would not happen, do not worry," Pyrrha tries to reassure me, patting my shoulder.

"It _could_!" I shake my head, before exhale deeply. "Sorry. I just can't risk it."

The conversation around our table stops, so I pick my drink up again, although I do not drink it. However, when I keep my eyes averted from all of them and focussed onto the polished wood of the table, I can feel all sets of their eyes on me as, no doubt, all of them want to say something to convince me to come out with them during the Games. Nothing they do will convince me, but they obviously don't yet know.

Eventually, Ariadne asks, "How about after the Games have finished?"

"What? When I'm due to go back to District Four with Finnick?" I question, looking up to meet her gaze.

"Yes, I suppose then," she agrees. "But that means your answer is a no?"

I nod.

"Eva, you must come out with us!" Pyrrha finally complains. "You have only agreed to come out with us to the clubs these past couple of years, but now you are refusing again." She sticks her big red lips in a pout.

I laugh, although I'm really not in the mood to be doing such things. "There's next year, and then every year after that," I reason, not wanting to tell them that I'm convinced that I will be reaped next year and that I may not come out alive.

The pout does not leave her face as she argues, "That will not solve the problem of this year."

"I'm not giving in, guys," I admit, shrugging my shoulders as I place my glass on the table, before sitting further back in my chair. "I can't celebrate when Rue is in such a difficult situation." Then, I glance up at the huge clock tower and sigh, running my hands through my hair. "I promise that I will definitely come out with you next year, though."

They all look at me for a moment, before Androclus nods. "We will be holding you to that, Eva."

For a moment, I consider reasoning with them that it will only be possible if I'm not reaped for the Quarter Quell, but I push it out of my head almost instantly; they understand nothing about my feelings about the obvious Games, so why would they understand why I'm so worried that I'll be reaped? Instead, I just smile and say, "I'm sure that you will."

In the next couple of hours, the three of them fill me in on what I've missed in the Capitol: the latest fashion, the latest scandals, what they've heard about the Games. Already, everyone in the Capitols seems to be becoming excited for next year's Quarter Quell, even though they know that they've still got this year to get through first. At least they can begin guessing what the twist will be, they think.

After a while, though, I finally get to my feet and wish them all a good Games, before saying goodbye to them. I have just over an hour left until the Tributes' Parade starts, which leaves me with just enough time to go back to the Remake Centre, where mum's prep team will also dress me up for when I sit with the mentors, after they've finished with her, of course.

However, I don't have to wait for long before mum's prep team, at least, begins to work with me. They don't have to make me up to the extent that the tributes are, but, because I sit with the mentors, who sit with the Sponsors, I need to be a little bit. That means that they only paint my nails a pale pink and they add a similar colour to my cheeks, with a slightly darker colour on my lips and silver on my eyelids, in addition to the silver eyeliner and the mascara.

Then, I begin to notice a recurring theme. As they do my hair, I notice them plaiting it around my head, before fastening little cream flowers in it. The little flowers in my hair match my short cream, sleeveless dress, which has little flower embellishment on the top, above the thick ribbon around my waist, which, then, falls down into the lacey skirt.

I hold my tongue, though, and simply thank them, before I leave the room and out to where the escort and the two mentors are. I even try to ignore the over elaborately decorated dress that Meadow wears, unwilling to acknowledge the fact that they are actually going to use flowers as a theme for the people that are behind the scenes for the tributes.

Quietly, I follow mum and everyone else downstairs, into the Preparation Hall, where the tributes, stylists and the rest of the team meet before the Tributes' Parade. As we'll be going to District Eleven, we have to make our way to almost the back, pushing through the rest of the tributes, my gaze only flickering once from my destination of Rue, to where Finnick is.

As soon as we reach our District's chariot, I find Rue and crouch down in front her, wrapping my arms around. "You look great," I whisper, even though I know that she'll probably feel anything but it.

Both tributes are dressed as farmers in navy blue overalls- although Rue's version of the overalls is a dress, instead- with a white shirt beneath for Thresh and a blue one for Rue. They, then, have silver pieces of wheat wrapped around their heads, as something like a crown. The rest of their costume is reasonably normal as they have nothing in their hair or on their faces.

"You'll be amazing out there, Rue," I add, leaning back to smile at her. "I promise you."

She sighs and nods, despite saying, "Have you seen all of the other tributes, though?"

It's at this point that I finally look around at the other tributes, and I soon realise that Rue is worried about nothing. They probably have some of the best costumes by far. There are some obvious ones like District One and Two, but there are ones that are hardly understandable, according to their District, like District Six and Nine. Even District Twelve has changed this year, away from their normal coal-covered tributes.

I look back to her and reply, "Yes, I have, and I've decided that you really don't need to worry. Your stylists are trying to help you and they are, luckily, not the stupid ones that make you look like an apple or something."

She giggles.

"There. Don't worry. You'll be absolutely fine." I hear the call for the last minute stylist preparations, so I stand up and smile down at her. "Good luck."

She finally smiles back, before walking over to the chariot, where Thresh is already.

I step back, to where mum and Leilani are, and offer my smile to them, before I wave at Rue for the last time. Then, I follow the two of them and Meadow out of the Hall, to where the Sponsors are. At this point, I separate from them and allow them to go to the Sponsors, whilst I take a seat at the edge of the box, far enough away from Meadow, though.

Luckily, I only have to wait ten minutes or so for the Parade to actually begin, so I entertain myself for that time by talking to people other than the new escort and by silently laughing as I watch Finnick with the Sponsors. However, by the time that the anthem finally begins to play over the crows, I think I may have also learnt all the details of my dress.

When the chariots begin to roll out the doors, I politely clap with the rest of the audience, but it is when Rue and Thresh come out that I really begin to clap and cheer. They both look good in their costumes, and Rue is further trying to gain Sponsors by waving and trying to smile, whilst Thresh just glares into the crowds, but they both, beneath their covers, look terrified.

Unfortunately, though, the attention is almost immediately switched from the first eleven Districts when District Twelve come out, and I can't help but admit that I turn my gaze to them, too. What had originally appeared to be made of just simple black unitards with a small headdress and cape have been transformed into a fire covered costume. We all crane our necks to see if they're okay, and they are completely unscathed.

Unsurprisingly, as they raised their joint hands in the air and begin to smile, the cheers that they were receiving do not lessen and, instead, grow. As they all begin to pull up to the balcony where the President stands, though, you can see that only they are pleased with the costume; not only are the Careers glaring at the them and the lesser Districts worried that they will now have no Sponsors, Snow doesn't look best pleased either.

President Snow, as soon as the chariots have stopped and he's been able to quieten all of the crowds, begins his annual speech by, first, welcoming all of the tributes to the Capitol. Next, he says how the Games this year will certainly be something to look forward to- I can't help but feel his directs this bit towards District Twelve- and he, then, concludes.

As soon as the chariots begin rolling again, towards the Training Centre for the first time, I get straight to my feet and start walking quickly down to where the chariots will stop. When I reach District Eleven, they have only just arrived, too, so I am the first to greet, and then congratulate them for their performances, which is something that they really need when District Twelve's team arrives.

"You guys were great out there," I begin. "From what I could hear, all the Sponsors were really interested in you two. You've both already got a good chance, so don't worry."

Rue smiles and Thresh nods, but neither really acknowledge my words, so I am silently glad when mum, Leilani and Meadow come along, too, to save me from further having to try to convince them of something they've already lost hope in.

Five minutes or so later, Meadow tells us that we will now be heading to where Rue and Thresh will be staying, so we all follow her as she makes her way towards the lift. When we walk, I feel Rue moving closer to my side once again, so I look down to her and smile, before taking her hand into mine and squeezing it gently. Much to my delight, she tries to smile back.

Once we're all in the lift, travelling up to the eleventh floor, where we will all be staying before the Games begin, Meadow begins to tell the two tributes what the plans for the next few days are, including the training and interviews. As she says everything, though, and I see the panic beginning to spread across Rue and Thresh's faces, I see the reality of what is about to happen slowly sinking in.

"And here we are," Meadow finally says, stepping out of the lift first to show the first room. "This is the dining room. There is a T.V. room just down there. As well, you both have a room each. You can go wherever you like now, just as long as you stay on this floor."

"Where would you like to go?" I ask Rue quietly, bending down, so that I can whisper it in her ear.

She sighs and glances around. "I want to get rid of this ridiculous outfit first."

I laugh slightly, reasoning, "I've already told you that it's actually really good, compared to some of the others," as I get back to my feet, so that I can lead her into her room.

"That doesn't mean that I should have any reason to like it," she argues.

I smile, crouching back down when we're in her room, so that my face is level with hers. "You looked incredible out there, just as I said you would. Neither I, nor either of your mentors will let you get away with looking anything less than that."

She smiles back, allowing me to hug her. "Thanks, Eva."

"No problem, Rue." I sigh. "Remember, I've got tonnes to make up for, seeing as you volunteered instead of me, and Hope's prepared to be trying to save me, so you've got the best chance possible. Don't worry."

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay, this really isn't the best chapter that I've written in a while because, not only did nothing happen in it, but I also really struggled to write it. Ahh well.**

**I AM NOT GOING TO CRY IN THE CORNER NOW BECAUSE I GOT NO REVIEWS LAST CHAPTER! I AM ABSOLUTELY FINE! IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME TO HAPPEN IN A WHILE. I'M NOT SAD AT ALL.**

**So, now that I've gotten over that heartbreak, I'm going to break the-few-of-you-that-actually-read-this-story's hearts... I'm putting this story on hiatus for I-don't-know-how-long. Basically, I want to finish _Safe With Mellark_, but I will be finishing _And From Those Moments: Book 1: Fallen _after that. Then, I want to bring this back, but I'm thinking I might have to finish _Secrets In Love _first because I want to do a SYOT after this has finished and I want all of my other stories finished before then.**

**However, if I get lots of reviews, I will be more likely to bring it back sooner. ****Therefore, more reviews equals a quicker update.**

**You know what you need to do. Thanks!**


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